Happiness motives and mental health mediated by mastery behavior and smartphone addiction: Variable-centered and person-centered approaches

Abstract

This study integrated variable- and person-centered approaches to explore how happiness motives and their profiles relate to mental health through the mediation of eudaimonic activity (i.e., mastery behavior) and maladaptive hedonic activity (i.e., smartphone addiction). A total of 623 Chinese undergraduates completed an online survey package. Structural equation modeling revealed that hedonic approach motives (i.e., seeking pleasure) had a positive direct effect on well-being. Hedonic avoidance motives (i.e., avoiding pain) were negatively related to mastery behavior and positively related to smartphone addiction, leading to worse mental health. Eudaimonic motives (i.e., seeking growth and meaning) were positively related to mastery behavior and negatively related to smartphone addiction, leading to improved mental health. Latent profile analysis identified four profiles: average motives, low motives, approach motives, and high motives. A multi-categorical mediating model revealed that, compared to high motives profile, approach motives profile was related to more mastery behavior and less smartphone addiction, indirectly improving mental health; low motives profile had a negative indirect effect on mental health through mastery behavior and a positive indirect effect through smartphone addiction. These results indicate that combining high hedonic approach and eudaimonic motives with low hedonic avoidance motives is the most functional way to achieve happiness.