The full life revisited: Examining hedonia and eudaimonia as general orientations, motives for activities, and experiences of wellbeing

We examined the concepts of hedonia and eudaimonia with respect to general orientations to life, motives for activities, and experiences of wellbeing among young Canadian adults (N = 325; M age = 19.10, SD = 2.18; 87% female). Within concepts, moderate positive correlations were observed across facets of hedonia and eudaimonia. Between concepts, correlations were strongest for wellbeing and weakest for motives. Unique predictive associations of eudaimonic general orientations and motives for daily activities were found for both types of wellbeing. In support of the ‘full life’ hypothesis the highest levels of each form of wellbeing were found among individuals characterized by high (top 33%) levels of hedonic and eudaimonic general orientations and motivations for recent activities. Findings support distinguishing between hedonia and eudaimonia as related but independent concepts, and provide new insights concerning hedonic and eudaimonic general orientations and motivations for activities in characterizing the full life

Investigating a dynamic modular framework for subjective well-being

According to Diener (1984), the three primary components of subjective well-being (SWB) are high life satisfaction (LS), frequent positive affect (P A), and infrequent negative affect (NA). The present dissertation extends previous research and theorizing on SWB by testing an innovative framework developed by Shmotkin (2005) in which SWB is conceptualized as an agentic process that promotes and maintains positive functioning. Two key components ofShmotkin's framework were explored in a longitudinal study of university students. In Part 1, SWB was examined as an integrated system of components organized within individuals. Using cluster analysis, five distinct configurations of LS, P A, and NA were identified at each wave. Individuals' SWB configurations were moderately stable over time, with the highest and lowest stabilities observed among participants characterized by "high SWB" and "low SWB" configurations, respectively. Changes in SWB configurations in the direction of a high SWB pattern, and stability among participants already characterized by high SWB, coincided with better than expected mental, physical, and interpersonal functioning over time. More positive levels of functioning and improvements in functioning over time discriminated among SWB configurations. However, prospective effects of SWB configurations on subsequent functioning were not observed. In Part 2, subjective temporal perspective "trajectories" were examined based on individuals' ratings of their past, present, and anticipated future LS. Upward subjective LS trajectories were normative at each wave. Cross-sectional analyses revealed consistent associations between upward subjective trajectories and lower levels of LS, as well as less positive mental, physical, and interpersonal functioning. Upward subjective LS trajectories were biased both with respect to underestimation of past LS and overestimation of future LS, demonstrating their illusional nature. Further, whereas more negative retrospective bias was associated with greater current distress and dysfunction, more positive prospective bias was associated with less positive functioning in the future. Prospective relations, however, were not consistently observed. Thus, steep upward subjective LS trajectory appeared to be a form of wishful-thinking, rather than an adaptive form of selfenhancement. Major limitations and important directions for future research are considered. Implications for Shmotkin's (2005) framework, and for research on SWB more generally, also are discusse

Individual differences in naturally occurring affect predict conceptual breadth: evidence for the importance of arousal by valence interactions.

Several studies have investigated the effect of induced mood state on conceptual breadth (breadth and flexibility of thought). Early studies concluded that inducing a positive mood state broadened cognition, while inducing a negative mood state narrowed cognition. However, recent reports have suggested that valence and arousal can each influence conceptual breadth. Individual differences in affective dispositions may bias perceptions, thoughts, and behaviors and, in turn, may be biased by them. Here, we examine whether individual differences in valence and arousal dimensions of self-reported, naturally occurring affect relate to conceptual breadth (using the Remote Associates Test, the Object Categorization Task, and the Alternative Uses Task), with no mood manipulations or cues. The three conceptual breadth tasks loaded onto a latent conceptual breadth factor that was predicted significantly by the interaction of valence and arousal. For participants low in arousal, greater positive affect was associated with greater conceptual breadth. For participants high in arousal, greater positive affect was associated with reduced conceptual breadth. In contrast to most existing theories of conceptual breadth that highlight the importance of valence or arousal alone, the present results suggest that the interaction between arousal and valence is key to predicting individual differences in conceptual breadth. We posit that positive mood states predict greater conceptual breadth in the presence of low versus high arousal due to a relaxation of cognitive control under low arousal.The Brock Library Open Access Publishing Fun

sj-xlsx-1-psp-10.1177_01461672241233433 – Supplemental material for Evaluating the Structure of Subjective Well-Being: Evidence From Three Large-Scale, Long-Term, National Longitudinal Studies

Supplemental material, sj-xlsx-1-psp-10.1177_01461672241233433 for Evaluating the Structure of Subjective Well-Being: Evidence From Three Large-Scale, Long-Term, National Longitudinal Studies by Michael A. Busseri in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin</p

sj-xlsx-2-spp-10.1177_19485506221125416 – Supplemental material for Happy Days: Resolving the Structure of Daily Subjective Well-Being, Between and Within Individuals

Supplemental material, sj-xlsx-2-spp-10.1177_19485506221125416 for Happy Days: Resolving the Structure of Daily Subjective Well-Being, Between and Within Individuals by Michael A. Busseri and David B. Newman in Social Psychological and Personality Science</p