Abstract
In three studies (Ns between 125 and 176), happiness in life was the highest for undergraduates whose personal goals and life-story identities were supported by thematically consistent personality traits. In Study 1, happiness was highest among participants who were pursuing highly social goals that were supported by sociable traits. This relation between trait-goal consistency and happiness was partially mediated by perceptions of goal manageability. In Study 2, happiness was highest among participants who had highly social life-story identities that were supported by sociable traits. Study 3 replicated the main results of Studies 1 and 2 and also found a significant relation between the extent to which participants' goals and life-story identities were social in theme.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 551-572 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Journal | Journal of Research in Personality |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 2006 |
Funding
This research was funded by graduate, postdoctoral, and faculty grants to the first author from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and by a grant to the second author from the Foley Family Foundation of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We gratefully acknowledge helpful comments from Nili Benazon, Reeshma Haji, Michaela Hynie, So-Jin Kang, Denise Marigold, Kennon Sheldon, and Erik Woody.
Keywords
- Goals
- Happiness
- Identity
- Life stories
- Personal projects
- Traits
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- General Psychology