Eudaimonic Motives Research Articles

Positioning Implicit Theories of Well-Being Within a Positivity Framework

Two studies with 230 and 363 Canadian undergraduate students tested the relationship between incremental theories of well-being (i.e., beliefs regarding the malleability of well-being) and a positive mental outlook. In Study 1, incremental theories of well-being were associated with Prioritizing Positivity (purposely incorporating pleasant activities into one’s daily routine) and showed a positive relationship with several other indicators of positive mental functioning (e.g., intrinsic motivation, eudaimonic motivation). In Study 2, incremental theories of well-being were associated with Positivity (viewing life and experiences with a positive outlook) and were positively correlated with additional indicators of positive mental functioning (e.g., harmony in life, self-compassion). In both studies, the relationship between incremental theories of well-being and both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being held true across different measures. A synthesis of major results using a Bayesian meta-analytic procedure suggested a moderate association between an incremental well-being mindset and well-being. Results of these studies help to situate incremental views toward well-being within a broad positivity framework, and to expand the nomological web of correlates of implicit theories of well-being.

The roles of hedonic and eudaimonic motives in emotion regulation

The pursuit of hedonic and eudaimonic activities is related to well-being. The current study examined whether hedonic and eudaimonic motives are associated with the strategies people choose to regulate their positive and negative emotions, which, in turn, predict well-being. Participants completed measures assessing hedonic and eudaimonic motives, down-regulation of positive emotions and up-regulation of negative emotions, and well-being. Eudaimonic motives correlated positively with down-regulation of negative emotions whereas hedonic motives correlated positively, but weakly, with up-regulation of positive emotions. Both types of motives and emotion regulation were associated with well-being, but eudaimonic motives and down-regulation of negative emotions were more strongly predictive of well-being than hedonic motives and up-regulation of positive emotions were. In addition, these associations appeared to be driven by people's choices for dysfunctional, rather than functional, strategies. In sum, the findings suggest that hedonic and eudaimonic motives may support different pathways to well-being, with eudaimonic motives and down-regulation of negative emotions playing a stronger role in well-being.

Graphic Violence as Moral Motivator: The Effects of Graphically Violent Content in News

Common wisdom holds that graphic media violence leads to antisocial outcomes. This common wisdom is reflected in the Society for Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics. However, theory and research regarding moral emotions’ ability to increase moral sensitivity suggests that this type of negative content may be capable of yielding prosocial responses. This article describes this logic and tests its predictions in two experimental studies utilizing news footage of a mass execution conducted by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Results corroborate claims that graphic media violence can serve as a moral motivator. Higher levels of graphic violence led to stronger anger and disgust responses, which in turn predicted higher levels of (a) moral sensitivity, (b) desires for anti-ISIS interventions (including military and humanitarian efforts), and (c) eudaimonic motivations (i.e., seeking meaning in life). Important to note, no increases in negative attitudes toward Arab Muslims were observed. Theoretical implications are discussed.

To be a Fan is to be Happier: Using the Eudaimonic Spectator Questionnaire to Measure Eudaimonic Motivations in Spanish Fans

Many studies have linked audiovisual entertainment to hedonia. Recently, also to eudaimonic happiness. The Eudaimonic Spectator Questionnaire is proposed as a new tool to explore eudaimonic motivations that are linked to the consumption of audiovisual entertainment. The new questionnaire groups these eudaimonic motivations into two factors: the cultivation of cognitive–intellectual growth and social–emotional growth. Once the consistency and reliability of the questionnaire was tested, we observed statistically significant differences between fans and non-fan spectators; these differences were observed in both factors. The results indicated that being a fan is associated with the cultivation of human virtues and character strengths.

Psychological impacts of challenging behaviour and motivational orientation in staff supporting individuals with autistic spectrum conditions.

Despite increased risk of experiencing challenging behaviour, psychological impacts on community and residential staff supporting adults with autistic spectrum conditions are under-explored. Studies examining related roles indicate protective psychological factors may help maintain staff well-being. This study investigated relationships between motivational orientation (eudaimonic or hedonic), challenging behaviour frequency and type (physical, verbal or self-injurious) and psychological impacts (anxiety, depression and life satisfaction). Participants (N = 99) were recruited from six organisations providing autism-specific adult services within Scotland. A series of binary logistic regressions demonstrated weekly challenging behaviour exposure (compared to monthly or daily) significantly increased the likelihood of anxiety caseness. Increased eudaimonic motivation significantly reduced the likelihood of anxiety caseness while also predicting higher life satisfaction. Furthermore, having high levels of eudaimonic motivation appeared to moderate the impact of weekly challenging behaviour exposure on anxiety. No motivational orientation or challenging behaviour factor significantly predicted depression. This sample also demonstrated higher anxiety, lower depression and equivalent life satisfaction levels compared with general population norms. The results highlight the need for considering staff's motivational orientations, their frequency of exposure to challenging behaviour, and both positive and negative psychological outcomes, if seeking to accurately quantify or improve well-being in this staff population.

Exploring Subtext Processing in Narrative Persuasion: The Role of Eudaimonic Entertainment-Use Motivation and a Supplemental Conclusion Scene

The extended elaboration likelihood model argues transportation reduces embedded message processing, but this study reasoned people with eudaimonic entertainment-use motivation would process narrative subtexts. A conclusion scene reiterating intended messages was expected to facilitate persuasion. Subjects were randomly assigned to watch a drama about organ donation, with or without a conclusion scene. The intended messages were not persuasive. Nonetheless, this study provides insight into narrative transportation processes. Transportation did not inhibit subtext processing, and there was a marginally significant interaction between eudaimonic motivation and conclusion scene on an unintended message: Eudaimonic motivation negatively predicted doctor mistrust in the no-conclusion condition.

Testing Measurement Equivalence of Eudaimonic and Hedonic Entertainment Motivations in a Cross-cultural Comparison

Within Hofstede’s framework of individualistic and collectivistic cultures, this contribution examines measurement equivalence of hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment motivations in two different cultures, namely Germany representing a more individualistic culture (N = 180) and Turkey representing a more collectivistic culture (N = 97). By means of a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, we could secure configural invariance for both hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment motivations across the German and Turkish sample. Metric invariance, however, could only be obtained for hedonic, but not for eudaimonic motivations. Scalar invariance was obtained for neither of the two entertainment motivations. The study points to the importance of equivalence testing when conducting cross-cultural research.

Effects of Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motivations on Film Enjoyment Through Moral Disengagement

In light of literature documenting differences in viewers’ entertainment preferences, this study (N = 168) examined how motivations for film consumption based on pleasure (hedonism) and meaning (eudaimonia) are associated with moral disengagement and enjoyment of content featuring a morally ambiguous character. Findings indicate that whereas hedonic motivation positively influenced moral disengagement, eudaimonic motivation had the reverse effect. Furthermore, eudaimonic motivation had a direct positive influence on enjoyment, and the relationship between hedonic motivation and enjoyment was mediated by moral disengagement. Implications for the role of morality as it relates to individual preferences for media consumption and enjoyment are discussed.

Effects of Light-Hearted and Serious Entertainment on Enjoyment of the First and Third Person

Abstract. This was a study on the perceived enjoyment of different movie genres. In an online experiment, 176 students were randomly divided into two groups (n = 88) and asked to estimate how much they, their closest friends, and young people in general enjoyed either serious or light-hearted movies. These self–other differences in perceived enjoyment of serious or light-hearted movies were also assessed as a function of differing individual motivations underlying entertainment media consumption. The results showed a clear third-person effect for light-hearted movies and a first-person effect for serious movies. The third-person effect for light-hearted movies was moderated by level of hedonic motivation, as participants with high hedonic motivations did not perceive their own and others’ enjoyment of light-hearted films differently. However, eudaimonic motivations did not moderate first-person perceptions in the case of serious films.

What Happened to the Context? Extending the Integrated Model of Entertainment Consumption by Embedding it in its Social and Technological Context

When studying psychological effects of mass media, the context shaping the entertainment experience is often neglected. Yet, to be able to understand the entertainment experience as a whole, it is necessary to acknowledge the highly intertwined nature of social situation, technology and content. Thus, as repeatedly demanded by entertainment researchers, this paper is integrating the users’ choice between different sources of need satisfaction, enjoyment of social situations of reception, technology affinity, motivations and demographics in a media psychological model without closing the door on quantitative testing. The extended model is validated in an online study (N=594). We show, that the choice for a medium is influenced by the user’s enjoyment of the social situation in which the reception is supposed to take place as well as by the user’s technological affinity. Likewise, the choice for an entertainment offer is shaped by the user’s dominantly hedonic or eudaimonic motivations.

Test-retest reliability and predictive validity of the Japanese version of the Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities scale

Test-retest reliability and predictive validity of the Japanese version of the Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities scale

Why do we read sad books? Eudaimonic motives and meta-emotions

While it is commonsensical that we read stories to generate pleasant emotions (enjoyment), the fact that we also read stories which generate sadness had been deemed more puzzling. Recent studies have stressed the potential role of “eudaimonic” (meaning-making) motives in preferences for sad media, particularly sad films. The current survey study (N=343) explored the role meaning-making motives (insight and personal growth) play in a preference for sad books relative to other motives, like catharsis beliefs and wanting to experience emotions (meta-emotions). The study also took into account gender and age. Results indicate that both meaning-making motives and meta-emotions predict a preference for sad books. This pattern was compared to preferences for specific book genres. A preference for thrillers was associated with meta-emotions, while a preference for poetry was associated with a need for insight. However, no specific genre was associated with both meta-emotions and insight. As sad books appear to address both needs for feeling and meaning-making, they serve a unique function for readers.

Mad Men fans speak via social media: What fan voices reveal about the social construction of reality via dramatic fiction

Abstract Fans of complex television dramas often watch because of eudaimonic motivations – the desire to make meaning from media, to explore their own emotions and to learn about the human experience through the exploration of novel experiences that audio-visual fiction affords. This study analyses the psychology of how fans of Mad Men (2007) construct social realities via online discussions of some of the major relationships and storylines on the show. Our primary goal was to understand how fans create reality from fantasy and our focus was on social relationships and individual character analyses. Using a social science approach, we performed both a computer-automated and an expert-driven thematic analysis on 209 fan comments harvested from social media. The automated analysis revealed common emotional expressions, such as associating hate with the character Betty Draper. The expert analysis revealed that many of fans’ social media conversations centred on evaluating Don and Betty Draper as parents, spouses and people, either condemning or defending them in each of these roles. Fans were evenly split between Betty supporters and detractors. Betty was most likely to be defended as a person and condemned as a mother. In contrast, three fourths of fans condemned Don. This condemnation was mostly directed towards him as a person and spouse, not as a father. We situate these findings in an interdisciplinary literature and explain the psychology behind why and how fans use fiction both to empathize with others and to explore their own realities. We explain from a positive psychology perspective that our analysis of fans’ social media commentary exemplifies how television fandom for complex dramas can be healthy and psychologically beneficial.

Why Do People Regulate Their Emotions? A Taxonomy of Motives in Emotion Regulation

Emotion regulation involves the pursuit of desired emotional states (i.e., emotion goals) in the service of superordinate motives. The nature and consequences of emotion regulation, therefore, are likely to depend on the motives it is intended to serve. Nonetheless, limited attention has been devoted to studying what motivates emotion regulation. By mapping the potential benefits of emotion to key human motives, this review identifies key classes of motives in emotion regulation. The proposed taxonomy distinguishes between hedonic motives that target the immediate phenomenology of emotions, and instrumental motives that target other potential benefits of emotions. Instrumental motives include behavioral, epistemic, social, and eudaimonic motives. The proposed taxonomy offers important implications for understanding the mechanism of emotion regulation, variation across individuals and contexts, and psychological function and dysfunction, and points to novel research directions.

Everyday Activities: Beneficial Effects of Eudaimonic and Hedonic Motivation on Subjective Well-Being

The study focuses on the impact of time and motives for everyday activities on mood and daily satisfaction. One hundred twenty-one undergraduate students participated in study using experience sampling method. The short PANAS scale, one item momentary satisfaction measure and state orientation to happiness scale were used. The measures were administered five times a day for 7 days via hand-held devices. The data were modeled using a linear mixed-effects approach. The models fitted the data reasonably well, especially for satisfaction and positive affect (PA) sharing similar parameter estimates. Both showed a nonlinear increase through the week while PA showed a similarly shaped circa-diurnal rhythm too. Negative affect (NA) showed almost no rhythm at all. Both hedonic and eudaimonic motives increased satisfaction and PA. Hedonic motives had a negative impact on NA. Generally, on momentary level, hedonic motives have a greater impact while longer intervals seem to emphasize the importance of eudaimonic motives.

Measuring hedonia and eudaimonia as motives for activities: cross-national investigation through traditional and Bayesian structural equation modeling.

Two major goals of this paper were, first to examine the cross-cultural consistency of the factor structure of the Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities (HEMA) scale, and second to illustrate the advantages of using Bayesian estimation for such an examination. Bayesian estimation allows for more flexibility in model specification by making it possible to replace exact zero constraints (e.g., no cross-loadings) with approximate zero constraints (e.g., small cross-loadings). The stability of the constructs measured by the HEMA scale was tested across two national samples (Polish and North American) using both traditional and Bayesian estimation. First, a three-factor model (with hedonic pleasure, hedonic comfort and eudaimonic factors) was confirmed in both samples. Second, a model representing the metric invariance was tested. A traditional approach with maximum likelihood estimation reported a misfit of the model, leading to the acceptance of only a partial metric invariance structure. Bayesian estimation—that allowed for small and sample specific cross-loadings—endorsed the metric invariance model. The scalar invariance was not supported, therefore the comparison between latent factor means was not possible. Both traditional and Bayesian procedures revealed a similar latent factor correlation pattern within each of the national groups. The results suggest that the connection between hedonic and eudaimonic motives depends on which of the two hedonic dimensions is considered. In both groups the association between the eudaimonic factor and the hedonic comfort factor was weaker than the correlation between the hedonic pleasure factor and the eudaimonic factor. In summary, this paper explained the cross-national stability of the three-factor structure of the HEMA scale. In addition, it showed that the Bayesian approach is more informative than the traditional one, because it allows for more flexibility in model specification.

Personality, motivation, nature, and well-being

Research suggests that several personality variables such as extraversion, agreeableness, and character are linked to eudaimonic and hedonic motives as well as well-being. However, it is unclear as to the mechanisms that link the variables. This research focuses on nature contact as a potential mediating variable. It was expected that several character strengths and the Five-Factors of Personality would impact well-being indirectly through both hedonistic and eudaimonic motives as well as nature contact. To test the model, 125 participants were administered the following: a character strength measure; a Five-Factor measure; a measure to assess hedonic and eudaimonic motives; two nature contact measures; and several well-being measures (e.g., mood). Path analysis was used to test the model. Overall, the results provided partial support for the model. Although contact with nature was related to well-being, character strength appeared to have the biggest impact on the wellness outcome measure.

What makes goals choiceworthy? A qualitative study of hedonic, eudaimonic, and structural motives

Research on goal choice has been limited by restricted explanatory categories, unidimensional quantitative ratings of goal importance, and limited samples in academic settings. Open-ended inquiry can yield a much richer picture of goal choices. This grounded theory interview study with 11 college graduates assessed goal importance three times over four months. The grounded theory of goal importance had four coding levels: three theoretical categories (hedonic motives, eudaimonic motives, and structural motives), seven thematic codes, 19 axial codes, and 56 basic codes. Very diverse reasons were reported for goal choice, reflecting aspects of many goal pursuit theories. Respondents gave multiple reasons for pursuing each goal, often in multiple theoretical categories. Basic codes provided the most explanatory information, with higher level categories offering more descriptive information. Results suggest that only complex theories of goal pursuit can encompass the range of goal motives and that qualitative inquiries complement quantitative research by ensuring this breadth.

The Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities (HEMA) in Japan: the pursuit of well-being

Hedonia (seeking pleasure and relaxation) and eudaimonia (seeking to improve oneself in congruence with one's values) uniquely contribute to well-being. The authors developed and tested the construct validity of a Japanese version of the Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities (HEMA) scale that had been originally developed in North America. Drawing on the theoretical and empirical evidence from research on emotion, we proposed that people would pursue well-being in three different directions: pleasure, relaxation, and eudaimonia. In Study 1, we used the original HEMA scale to examine the Japanese attainment of well-being. The results supported the hypothesized three-factor model. Study 2 revealed that the Japanese version of the HEMA scale measured pleasure, relaxation, and eudaimonia. Each of these subscales showed statistically sufficient internal consistency. There was no gender difference in any of these measures. Scores on the scale systematically corresponded with external criterion variables, such as life satisfaction, affect, Ryff's psychological well-being, social support, and lifestyle. Implications for psychological research and public policies that cover the topic of the pursuit of well-being are discussed.

Hedonic and eudaimonic motives for watching feature films. Validation of the Spanish version of Oliver – Raney’s scale

AbstractThree studies are presented to validate the Spanish version of Oliver and Raney’s (2008; 2011) eudaimonic and hedonic motivations scale. In Study 1, 132 university students watched a dramatic (sad) film, filling out the scales to evaluate motivations regarding cinema consumption and reception processes. Eudaimonic motivation was associated with deeper cognitive processes during the reception and stronger identification with the protagonist. Study 2 evaluated the test-retest reliability of the eudaimonic and hedonic motivations scale (