Belief in a just world fosters the pursuit of eudaimonia and tolerance of pain through future orientation

Abstract

Pursuing hedonia (the seeking of pleasure and the avoidance of pain) and eudaimonia (a meaningful life) are the two fundamental motives for happiness. Prior research has shown that happiness motives critically affect well-being. However, their antecedents remain unclear. This research investigates whether and how belief in a just world (the perception that the world is fundamentally fair and individuals generally receive what they deserve) affects happiness motives. Both trait (Study 1) and experimentally manipulated (Study 2) belief in a just world positively predicted motives for eudaimonia and negatively predicted motives to avoid painful experiences, but did not affect motives to seek pleasant experiences. Moreover, future orientation, defined as a general tendency to plan for the future and prioritize long-term outcomes, mediated the relationship between belief in a just world and happiness motives (Studies 1–3). Our findings indicate that the endorsement of different approaches to achieving happiness is partly a response to the perceived environment.