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The quiet ego interprets the self and others by balancing concerns for their welfare and cultivating their growth (Bauer and Wayment, in: Wayment, Bauer (eds) Transcending self-interest: psychological explorations of the quiet ego, American Psychological Association Books, Washington, DC, 2008). A growing body of research shows that the Quiet Ego Scale (QES; Wayment et al. in J Happiness Stud 16:999–1033, 2015a, Front Psychol 6:1–11, 2015b) relates to numerous measures of human flourishing. The present three studies of college students and adults situate the quiet ego within a framework of value orientation and actualization that organizes constructs of human flourishing in terms of motives (including moral motives), well-being (as hedonic satisfaction and eudaimonic meaningfulness, including moral fulfillment), and wisdom (Bauer in The transformative self: personal growth, narrative identity, and the good life, Oxford University Press, New York, 2021). Results from samples of college students and adults suggest that the QES corresponds to: (1) mainly humanistic and eudaimonic (including moral) motives; (2) hedonic and especially eudaimonic well-being (including moral fulfillment); and (3) motives, well-being, and wisdom independently. The discussion considers the quiet ego in terms of Epicurean ataraxia and Buddhist upekkha, a model of a good life that, like the quiet ego, emphasizes equanimity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late adults differ in the degree to which their mental health is impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, with interindividual differences in their capacity to mobilize coping resources playing an important role. Therefore, the search for inner sources of resilience is important to understand late adults' adaptation to this crisis. Based on Goal Content Theory, a mini-theory within the broader Self-Determination Theory, this study aimed to examine whether older adults' valuation and attainment of intrinsic goals represent such a source of resilience. Intrinsic goals would form a solid foundation to experience a sense of meaning during this crisis, which, in turn, relates to higher well-being (i.e., life satisfaction and vitality) and lower ill-being (i.e., symptoms of depression, anxiety, and loneliness). During the second month of the lockdown period in Belgium, 693 older adults (Mage = 70.06, SD = 4.48, range: 65–89 years, 62.1% female) filled out online questionnaires concerning the study variables. Structural equation modeling showed that intrinsic goal attainment and goal importance related positively to experiences of meaning in life which, in turn, were related to higher levels of well-being and lower levels of ill-being. No evidence was found for an interaction effect between intrinsic goal attainment and goal importance. Supporting late adults' pursuit and attainment of meaningful intrinsic goals relates to their well-being and may potentially strengthen their resilience in times of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People differ in how they define and pursue happiness and well-being (HWB). Previous studies suggested that the best way to achieve a high level of well-being might be to pursue different facets of HWB simultaneously. We expand on this idea and introduce the concept of complexity of HWB definitions to describe how many HWB definitions people endorse simultaneously, and the complexity of HWB-related intentions to describe how many unique facets of HWB people intend to pursue in everyday life. To operationalize these novel concepts, we developed two parallel measures that integrate psychological and philosophical definitions of HWB. In two independent studies (total N = 542), exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed eight reliable and valid factors for both parallel scales: absence of negativity, positive attitude, tranquility, personal development, luck, joy and desires, purpose, and belonging. Complexity of HWB-related intentions was positively associated with all facets of well-being, whereas complexity of HWB definitions was only positively associated with some facets of well-being. HWB-related intentions and their complexity emerged as more important for the experience of well-being than HWB definitions and their complexity. These studies highlight the importance of a multifaceted conceptualization of HWB when investigating how the pursuit of HWB is related to actual levels of well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subjective vitality is a form of eudemonic well-being and signifies the availability of energy that an individual can use to adaptively engage with their environment. Subjective vitality is a positive predictor of physical health outcomes and overall well-being. Prior work with older adults has shown that individuals who follow prescribed or structured physical activity programs experience increases in subjective vitality. There is limited research testing whether self-directed, leisure time physical activity is associated with similar improvements in subjective vitality. Three studies tested whether self-directed, leisure time physical activity leads to higher subjective vitality among a population of emerging adults. All three studies supported the hypothesis that subjective vitality is higher following a session of self-directed, leisure time physical activity than before. Study 2 further showed that the influence of self-directed, leisure time physical activity was tied to active participation and was not triggered through simple recall of a recent episode of self-directed, leisure time physical activity. Study 3 suggested the influence of self-directed, leisure time physical activity on subjective vitality dissipates quickly. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that self-directed, leisure time physical activity could serve as an effective means of providing individuals with immediate boosts in subjective vitality. Such boosts may facilitate adaptive behaviors that, in turn, support future health and well-being. Implications for theory and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strength interventions at work have been shown to influence workers' optimal functioning and well-being. To increase the accessibility of these interventions in the workplace, relying on digital platforms would be a realistic idea. Akin to the Character Strengths 360-degree feedback activity, a smartphone (and computer) application allows users to send or receive anonymous strength-oriented descriptive feedback to/from colleagues, hence disseminating the identification and use of each other's signature strengths associated with their enacted behaviors. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, an intervention was developed to investigate if the use of the online platform may impact psychological well-being, by increasing psychological need satisfaction and autonomous motivation and decreasing need frustration and controlled motivation. A sample of full-time workers (n = 112) experienced the application, while participants who did not use the platform were assigned to the a posteriori control condition (n = 54). Data were collected before and after the 4-weeks intervention. Results showed (1) that participants from the experimental group reported significantly higher levels of strength use, need satisfaction, autonomous motivation, and psychological well-being compared to the a posteriori control group, and (2) that increases in the levels of need satisfaction reported by participants from the experimental group were related to increases in autonomous motivation, which in turn resulted in higher levels of well-being. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic forced most universities to switch from in-person to remote teaching from May 2020 to May 2021. This period covered three semesters of studies, and due to these changes students experienced fundamental changes in their learning. The present research was carried out 3 times during the pandemic (e.g., May 2020, December 2020, and April 2021) to investigate study engagement and burnout, and their associations with various demands, resources, and psychological needs among university students. Self-reports were collected from 1501, 1526, and 1685 university students in Helsinki. The results showed that study burnout increased across the time points, being the highest in April 2021, whereas study engagement was the lowest in December 2020. Further, at the beginning of the pandemic the explanatory power of study-related demands and resources on study burnout and engagement was stronger, whereas in April 2021 the role of psychological needs increased. These results inform strategies to promote students' engagement through distance-learning, mitigating negative effects of the situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent theories and studies have provided evidence that parental autonomy granting is linked to adolescents' life satisfaction, but very few studies have investigated this relationship in Chinese cultural contexts. Additionally, the potential mechanisms underlying this relationship are not comprehensively understood. This study examined whether autonomy granting parenting practice promoted adolescents' life satisfaction and whether this link was mediated by emotional self-efficacy and future orientation among 795 Chinese junior high school, senior high school, and college students (59.87% girls). Based on a longitudinal design, autonomy granting parenting practice and emotional self-efficacy were assessed at Time 1, and future orientation and life satisfaction were assessed at Time 2. Structural equation modeling revealed that autonomy granting parenting practice was directly related to adolescents' life satisfaction and indirectly through both emotional self-efficacy and future orientation. Furthermore, the effects of these mediators differed across the various stages of adolescence. Specially, for college students, self-efficacy in expressing positive emotions independently mediated the relationship between parental autonomy granting and life satisfaction. For senior high school and college students, self-efficacy in managing negative emotions and future orientation sequentially mediated this relationship. In addition, future orientation also mediated the relationship between autonomy granting and life satisfaction; however, the mediating effect of future orientation differed in direction for the junior and senior high school samples. These findings highlight the importance of providing adolescents with autonomy and targeting specific mediating factors to enhance life satisfaction of individuals at different stages of adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to self-determination theory, individual well-being is universally dependent upon the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence and relatedness. This study set out to further elucidate the relationship between basic psychological need satisfaction (BPNS) and well-being across age by (i) more closely examining the age distribution of BPNS, and (ii) investigating whether BPNS is comparably associated with well-being across all ages, as predicted by the universality assumption, while taking into account variability in other demographic factors. A general population sample of Dutch speaking adults from The Netherlands and Belgium (N = 1709; Mage = 48.6 years, SD = 19.0, range 18–97) filled out a cross-sectional online or paper-and-pencil survey questionnaire, providing self-reports of BPNS and well-being, using the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale and Mental Health Continuum-Short Form, respectively. Data analyses consisted of initial visual inspection using LOESS smoothed curve plotting, and subsequent model testing using multiple regression analyses. When correcting for other demographic factors, results showed a positive linear relationship between age and autonomy satisfaction, no significant relationship between age and competence satisfaction, and a slight positive cubic relationship between age and relatedness satisfaction (initial 'peak', followed by a slight decline and 'dip', and steady rise for later ages). All basic psychological needs factors were positively linked to well-being in all domains, with associations generally comparable between adults of different ages, thus lending support to the universality assumption of self-determination theory. Despite distinct age distributions, all three basic psychological needs seem important for maintaining a sense of well-being throughout life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asian economies have experienced extraordinary growth in recent decades, and yet individual employee happiness and satisfaction has remained relatively stagnant. This can be explained in part by a related shift toward materialist goal aspirations. Goal Contents Theory (GCT) suggests that not all goals are created equal: intrinsic goal orientations are more strongly related to subjective well-being, for example. Using one of the most comprehensive surveys of Asia ever conducted, the current study examines the central tenets of GCT in several ways. Results show intrinsic (i.e., health, safety and security, affiliation, community feeling, self-acceptance and growth) relative to extrinsic goal orientation (i.e., money and materialism) is more strongly related to higher levels of satisfaction with one's income, job, life, and accomplishments. Additionally, results of linear and nonlinear modeling display the diminishing marginal utility of income (the most widely utilized extrinsic incentive) on satisfaction. This curvilinear effect is exacerbated by extrinsic orientation. Finally, Multilevel Item Response Theory (MIRT) analysis confirmed a hierarchical ordering of intrinsic need strength and displayed the positive effect of national human development (i.e., Human Development Index) on individual intrinsic goal orientation. Results demonstrate the importance of organizational and national policies that emphasize human as well as economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article concentrates on regulatory focus (promotion and prevention) as a factor involved in the relationships between materialism and well-being alongside two personality traits—emotionality and grandiose narcissism. In an empirical study two types of materialists—one with high emotionality and low narcissism, the other with high narcissism and low emotionality—were compared in relation to their regulatory orientation and well-being. Additionally, regression commonality analysis was utilised in order to explain the complex relationships between variables. Materialists, characterised by the high level of emotionality and low narcissism, appeared to be also more prevention-oriented and less promotion-oriented than the materialists, characterised by a high level of narcissism and a low level of emotionality. Among the five variables explaining well-being promotion focus connected with grandiose narcissism played the most important role. However in the case of the type of materialism associated with the high emotionality level and low narcissism the problem with well-being was due to the lack of promotion orientation, whereas in the case of the type of materialism associated with the low level of emotionality and high level of narcissism the promotion orientation connected with grandiose narcissism seemed to protect well-being. Materialism was related to well-being (negatively) only in the case of the first type of materialism and sustained its unique effect despite multicollinearity with other predictors. Generally materialism served as a variable which accentuated the role of promotion focus and grandiose narcissism in shaping well-being in both groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of an examination of self-determination theory; in this examination, the theory is extended through deeper insight into the compensatory association between autonomy and relatedness satisfaction. This study is designed to investigate whether the mutual influence of autonomy satisfaction and relatedness satisfaction on positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), and aggressive feelings is best described as compensatory. The results of two laboratory studies verify a compensatory relationship and confirm a mediation by meaningful existence. The results verify the compensation effects of high relatedness satisfaction on NA and aggressive feelings when autonomy satisfaction is low. With role-playing and nonrole-playing digital game manipulation, the results are stronger when the participants were being themselves rather than playing a character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in psychological need satisfaction and its role in promoting optimal functioning. The DRAMMA model integrates existing need and recovery models to explain why leisure is connected to optimal functioning (i.e., high well-being and low ill-being). It encompasses six psychological needs: detachment, relaxation, autonomy, mastery, meaning, and affiliation (DRAMMA). While the individual needs of the DRAMMA model have been previously shown to relate to different aspects of optimal functioning, a longitudinal study examining the entire model has not been conducted before. In this longitudinal field study covering leisure and work episodes, we tested the within-person reliability and (construct and criterion) validity of the operationalization of the DRAMMA model in a sample of 279 German employees. Participants filled out measures of DRAMMA need satisfaction and optimal functioning at five measurement times before, during, and after vacation periods in 2016 and 2017. The six-factor model showed good fit to the data. In the multilevel models, relaxation, detachment, autonomy, and mastery had the most consistent within-person effects on optimal functioning, while the relationships between optimal functioning, meaning, and affiliation were considerably weaker. In conclusion, DRAMMA need satisfaction can aid and nurture employees' optimal functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-determination theory proposes that the fulfillment of the three basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness is important for optimal functioning. While support for this proposition have been well-documented, little attention has been paid to how these needs interact within individuals and whether having equally low, medium or high level of need fulfillment (i.e., balanced need satisfaction) has additional effects over and above the aggregated need fulfillment itself. The present study addresses these questions by examining the importance of having balanced versus imbalanced need fulfillment by adopting latent profile analysis, making it possible to distinguish quantitative and qualitative need-related differences. This research also documents the relations of these need profiles in relation to theoretically-relevant profile predictors (perceived interpersonal behaviors) and outcomes (affect and passion). A total of 1094 adults (female = 746, Mage = 26.00, SDage = 7.69) participated in this study. A four-profile solution appeared to be the most optimal: (1) balanced, all needs are highly satisfied, (2) imbalanced, only relatedness is highly satisfied, (3) balanced, all needs are average, and (4) balanced, all needs are frustrated. Interestingly, these profiles differed from one another in terms of obsessive passion, negative affect, and, to a smaller extent, positive affect, but not harmonious passion. Finally, profile membership was predicted by the perceived need nurturing global factor as well as by some of the specific factors. These results support the hypothesis that, apart from need fulfillment, need balance is also important for wellbeing and optimal functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our understanding of well-being has benefited from cross-cultural and non-Western research. However, culturally unique well-being concepts remain largely under-theorized. To address this gap, our research was aimed at developing and validating a substantive theory of how Japanese university students pursue ikigai or life worth living. To this end, we conducted sequential mixed-methods research. First, we performed a qualitative study guided by grounded theory methodology based on photo-elicitation interview data from 27 Japanese university students. Second, we tested our emerging theory of ikigai with online survey data from 672 Japanese university students by using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Our results indicate that students made four distinct actions to pursue ikigai. First, they engaged in an experience they subjectively valued as enjoyable, effortful, stimulating, or comforting. Second, they "diversified" by engaging with multiple values (e.g., enjoyment and comfort) within or across experiences. Third, they balanced competing values (i.e., enjoyment vs. effort, and stimulation vs. comfort). Fourth, they temporarily disengaged from experiences that became overwhelming so they could re-engage with them at a later time. These actions were perceived to result in daily lives being worth living and full of vibrancy. Students also believed these actions were conditioned by understanding what value was important in a certain life condition, and by their ability to act on opportunities for potentially valuable experiences without hesitation. The hypothesized relationships among the above concepts were supported by the subsequent quantitative results. Our findings are discussed in light of the ikigai and eudaimonic well-being literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used a new methodology for assessing change motivation (Hudson and Fraley 2015, 2016) to test the hypothesis that striving to improve one's hedonic well-being fails in its aim, whereas striving to improve one's eudaimonic functioning succeeds. In three studies, participant goals to increase subjective well-being (SWB) were negatively correlated with concurrent SWB, whereas goals to increase relative intrinsic versus extrinsic value orientation (RIEVO) were positively correlated with concurrent RIEVO. In Study 3's longitudinal investigation, Time 1 RIEVO change goals predicted increased RIEVO six and 12 weeks later, whereas Time 1 SWB change goals did not affect longitudinal SWB. Together, the data support the Aristotelian idea that people should pursue eudaimonia rather than happiness, not least because the latter pursuit may not be as effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-determination theory proposes that human beings have universal basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, which when satisfied lead to well-being. The current meta-analysis synthesized the correlations between the need for autonomy and subjective well-being. More specifically, because some researchers have questioned the role of autonomy in well-being in non-Western cultures, our meta-analysis focused on the results reported from studies conducted in the United States (US, a typical individualist culture) and East Asian countries (typical collectivist cultures). Random-effects analyses using 36 independent samples (22 from the US and 14 from East Asian samples including China and Japan) totaling 12,906 participants showed a moderate correlation (r = .46, p < .001) between autonomy and subjective well-being. The difference between correlations for studies conducted in the East and West was not significant (Δr = .05, p > .05). Overall, this study lends support to self-determination theory’s proposition that autonomy is a universal psychological need and provides suggestions for cultural practices and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research on children’s and adolescents’ well-being at school has been focused on the possible determinants. However, no previous research has analysed children’s and adolescents’ lay-beliefs or conceptualizations of happiness at school. In the present work, we studied children’s (N = 104, 9-10-year-olds) and adolescents’ (N = 113, 15-16-year-olds) conceptualizations of happiness at school and its link with self-reported happiness (assessed 3 months later) and academic achievement (assessed 7 months later). For both samples, seven conceptualizations emerged: happiness as ‘being with friends’, ‘being praised’, ‘getting good grades’, ‘learning’, ‘leisure’, ‘enjoyment’, and ‘helping’. Age differences appeared for the conceptualizations of ‘being friends’ and ‘helping’, as children mentioned significantly more the former and adolescents the latter. No gender differences emerged. For adolescents, the conceptualizations of happiness at school as ‘being with friends’, ‘being praised’, ‘helping’, and not ‘having leisure time’ were positively related to self-reported happiness, which was positively related to academic achievement. For children, none of the conceptualizations were positively related to self-reported happiness. The conceptualization of happiness as ‘learning’ was positively related to academic achievement. The results are discussed in regards to their implications for children’s and adolescents’ well-being at school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive affect (PA) has consistently been shown to predict meaning in life (MIL). In one of the first investigations to examine multiple predictors of MIL simultaneously, we tested in three studies the hypothesis that satisfactions associated with being benevolent and fulfilling psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are more central predictors of MIL, and could explain the correlation between PA and MIL. Study 1, a cross-sectional survey, regressed the four suggested factors and PA simultaneously on MIL, showing that all four emerged as independent predictors, whereas PA and MIL were no longer connected. Study 2 looked at recollections of meaningful situations, showing that all four satisfactions and PA emerged as independent predictors of situational meaning. Study 3 used a diary method to show that daily fluctuations in autonomy, competence, relatedness, beneficence, and PA all simultaneously and independently predicted daily sense of meaning. However, a brief longitudinal study showed that whereas combined satisfaction of autonomy, competence, relatedness, and beneficence at T1 predicted general sense of MIL at T2, PA did not. Together, these studies show that the four satisfactions consistently emerge as independent predictors of both general and short-term meaning, in some situations even accounting for the relation between PA and general MIL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]