Beneficial effects of hedonic and eudaimonic motivations on subjective well-being in adolescents: a two-wave cross-lagged analysis

Hedonia and eudaimonia have been proposed as pathways to well-being. However, the direction of the causal relationship between them remains unclear. This study examined if happiness motivations may be resources leading to a happy life, or vice versa. Cross-lagged associations between happiness motivations (i.e. hedonic motivation and eudaimonic motivation) and subjective well-being (i.e. positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction) were tested. Four hundred and ninety-four Chinese adolescents (233 males; mean age 13.26 ± 0.70 years) participated in a two-wave paper and pencil study. The cross-lagged analysis showed that eudaimonic motivation was a significant predictor of positive affect and life satisfaction over time. No cross-lagged effects between eudaimonic motivation and negative affect, or between hedonic motivation and subjective well-being components were established. The results highlight the predictive power of eudaimonic motivation on adolescents’ subjective well-being later on.