In My Grasp or out of My Hands? Belief About Where Life Satisfaction Comes from Predicts Motivation to Seek it

People often expect a future brighter than the present. However, expectations of steep improvement have been linked to worse psychological functioning, perhaps because rosy predictions often do not come to pass. Should we conclude that expecting a highly satisfying future is maladaptive? We wondered instead whether the adaptiveness of these trajectories may depend on other belief systems which accompany them. Across three studies we found that although individuals high and low in depressive symptoms both expected a better future, they differed in their beliefs about whether satisfaction comes from primarily controllable or uncontrollable sources. People lower in depressive symptoms believed that satisfaction is impacted by controllable behaviors which predicted motivation to engage in well-being supportive behaviors. In contrast, those higher in depressive symptoms believed satisfaction came from uncontrollable factors, accounting for less inclination to engage in well-being facilitating behaviors. These insights may help clarify how people’s expectations for a better tomorrow may only sometimes be accompanied by adaptive beliefs about how to get there.