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

Weipeng Lai, Zhixu Yang, Yanhui Mao, Qionghan Zhang, Hezhi Chen and Jianhong Ma
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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
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

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-12

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.

Keywords: happiness; prosocial behavior; eudaimonic orientation; hedonic orientation; person-activity congruence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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