Examining the Associations of Trait Self-control with Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-being

The well-being research consists of two dominant orientations: hedonia and eudaimonia. Although studies have found that trait self-control (TSC) is positively associated with hedonic well-being (e.g., positive affect), the relationship between TSC and eudaimonic well-being receives little attention. Three studies (N = 2532) were designed to simultaneously investigate the association of TSC with hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in adolescents. Based on a large cross-sectional data, the results of Study 1 showed that TSC was positively associated with subjective well-being (e.g., positive affect, life satisfaction) and psychological well-being (e.g., autonomy, personal growth). The following person-centred latent potential profile analysis confirmed that the high TSC group scored significantly higher in both kinds of well-being than the low counterpart. Study 2 further verified the results of Study 1 with diary evidence that individuals with higher TSC experienced greater subjective and psychological well-being in daily life. In order to reveal the causal effect of TSC on two types of well-being outcomes, Study 3 adopted a short-term longitudinal design. Cross-lagged path analysis indicated that TSC could positively predict one’s subjective and psychological well-being three months later, respectively. Overall, our findings extend previous research and contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between TSC and multifaceted well-being, suggesting that TSC not only promotes one’s hedonic well-being but also, more importantly, contributes to one’s eudaimonic well-being.