Abstract
Happiness can be pursued based on hedonic motives (i.e., seeking pleasure and comfort) and/or eudaimonic motives (i.e., seeking to develop and make the best use of the self). Substantial studies have found that hedonic and eudaimonic motives relate to well-being outcomes in different ways. However, these findings were predominantly based on Western samples, while study about the relationship between happiness motives and well-being outcomes in Eastern cultures is scanty. Furthermore, little is known about the mechanisms that underlie these associations. To address these gaps, we conducted two studies based on Chinese college students. In study 1 (N = 301), structural equation modeling demonstrated that eudaimonic motives were positively associated with life satisfaction and meaning in life, but hedonic motives were not significantly associated with either indicator of well-being. In study 2 (N = 526), structural equation modeling showed that (1) hedonic motives had an indirect effect on life satisfaction through need frustration and (2) eudaimonic motives had indirect effects on life satisfaction and meaning in life through need satisfaction and need frustration. These findings highlight the important roles that the satisfaction and the frustration of basic psychological needs play in translating happiness motives into well-being outcomes.
Highlights
Happiness, an objective that most people long to obtain, can be understood via two distinct yet complementary perspectives: a hedonic perspective and a eudaimonic perspective (Ryan and Deci, 2001)
Based on self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan and Deci, 2017), the basic psychological needs theory (BPNT; Ryan and Deci, 2000), we proposed that hedonic motives and eudaimonic motives contribute to subjective well-being (SWB)/eudaimonic wellbeing (EWB) through the mediation of the satisfaction and the frustration of basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence
Supporting hypotheses 2 and 3, the results showed that, after controlling age, gender, and subjective socioeconomic status (SES), the eudaimonic motives were positively associated with life satisfaction (β = 0.41) and meaning in life (β = 0.43), whereas the hedonic motives were not related to life satisfaction and meaning in life
Summary
An objective that most people long to obtain, can be understood via two distinct yet complementary perspectives: a hedonic perspective and a eudaimonic perspective (Ryan and Deci, 2001) While the former regards the presence of pleasure and the absence of pain as central to happiness, the latter considers self-actualization, acquisition of meaning, and virtuous functioning as essential to happiness (Huta and Waterman, 2014). This conceptual distinction leads to a differentiation between hedonic well-being [or subjective well-being (SWB)] and eudaimonic wellbeing (EWB). SWB is typically indexed by life satisfaction and a preponderance of positive over negative emotions (Diener et al, 1999).
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