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When Do Good Deeds Lead to Good Feelings? Eudaimonic Orientation Moderates the Happiness Benefits of Prosocial Behavior

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  • Weipeng Lai

    (Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Zhixu Yang

    (Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Yanhui Mao

    (Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
    School of Economics and Management, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China)

  • Qionghan Zhang

    (Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Hezhi Chen

    (Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Jianhong Ma

    (Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

Abstract

Engaging in prosocial behavior is considered an effective way to increase happiness in a sustainable manner. However, there is insufficient knowledge about the conditions under which such a happiness effect occurs. From a person-activity congruence perspective, we proposed that an individual’s eudaimonic orientation moderates the effect of prosocial behavior on happiness, whereas hedonic orientation does not. For this purpose, 128 participants were assigned to play a game in which half of them were explained the benevolence impact of playing the game (the benevolence condition), and the other half played the same game without this knowledge (the control condition). Participants’ eudaimonic and hedonic orientations were assessed before the game, and their post-task happiness were measured after the game. The results showed that participants in the benevolence condition reported higher post-task positive affect than those in the control condition. Furthermore, this happiness effect was moderated by participants’ eudaimonic orientation—participants with high eudaimonic orientation reaped greater benefits from benevolence, and their hedonic orientation did not moderate the relationship between benevolence and happiness. The importance of the effect of person-activity congruence on happiness is discussed, along with the implications of these findings for sustainably pursuing happiness.

Suggested Citation

  • Weipeng Lai & Zhixu Yang & Yanhui Mao & Qionghan Zhang & Hezhi Chen & Jianhong Ma, 2020. "When Do Good Deeds Lead to Good Feelings? Eudaimonic Orientation Moderates the Happiness Benefits of Prosocial Behavior," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-12, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:11:p:4053-:d:368076
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sonja Lyubomirsky & Heidi Lepper, 1999. "A Measure of Subjective Happiness: Preliminary Reliability and Construct Validation," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 46(2), pages 137-155, February.
    2. Armin Falk & Thomas Graeber, 2020. "Delayed negative effects of prosocial spending on happiness," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 117(12), pages 6463-6468, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Peng Cui & Yanhui Mao & Yufan Shen & Jianhong Ma, 2021. "Moral Identity and Subjective Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Identity Commitment Quality," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-14, September.

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