Exploring well-being among individuals with different life purposes in a Chinese context

What kind of life is the most worth living? Clarifying this question could help direct the development of life purposes to ultimately enhance well-being. We therefore explored whether certain life purposes are more related to well-being than other in a Chinese context. In Study 1, hierarchical regression analysis (N = 459) revealed that different life purposes were correlated with various levels of hedonic, eudaimonic, and social well-being. In Study 2, the results of in-depth interviews (N = 61) essentially confirmed and deepened the results of Study 1, revealing how these different purposes related to well-being. These two studies collectively suggest that social-oriented and intrinsic life purposes – such as social dedication, family harmony, and self-strengthening – are particularly correlated with greater well-being; by contrast, purposes such as social recognition, pleasure request, and quality improvement have no relevance to or are even negatively related to well-being.