The Nature of Well-Being: The Roles of Hedonic Processes, Eudaimonic Processes, Emotional Intelligence, and Cultural Orientation

Abstract

The first part of the present project reconceptualised the role of hedonic (pleasure) and eudaimonic (engagement) functions as satisfaction "processes" and distinguished them from well-being "outcomes". Well-being "outcomes" cover the full spectrum of human well-being by encompassing life satisfaction, positive affect, psychological well-being, social well-being, general physical health and absence of depression, anxiety, and stress. It was hypothesised that adaptive emotional functioning as operationalised by emotional intelligence would mediate the relationship between satisfaction "processes" and well-being "outcomes", and that cultural orientation would moderate the relationship among satisfaction processes, emotional intelligence, and well-being outcomes. Participants were university students from both Australia and India. Path analysis using structural equation modelling showed that emotional intelligence fully mediated the relationship between hedonic and eudaimonic satisfaction processes and well-being outcomes. Multi-group analyses showed that cultural orientation did not moderate this mediation model. An experimental study explored the effect of expressive writing about positive satisfaction experiences with a focus on emotional functioning on the overall well-being of an individual. Participants in the experimental condition wrote about meaningful activities that provide them with an intense sense of enjoyment and pleasure and how satisfaction derived from such activities can be increased by strengthening emotions associated with them. The control group participants were asked to write about their daily activities. Results indicated that writing about positive satisfaction experiences in the context of adaptive emotional functioning led to a significant increase in well-being at post-test as compared to writing about daily activities.