Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between physical activity and physiological health (e.g., Burke et al., 2006; Irwin, 2004). Less attention has been paid to the contribution of physical activity on psychological well-being (Fox et al., 2000), and more specifically eudaimonic well-being, which reflects optimal psychological functioning and development at ones maximum potential (Ryff, 1989, 1995). This study investigated the role that health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA; any form of physical activity that benefits health and functional capacity; Miilunpalo et al., 2000) plays in eudaimonic well-being, which Ryff conceptualizes in terms of six dimensions: (1) Autonomy (i.e., being self-determined and independent); (2) Environmental Mastery (i.e., having a sense of mastery and competence in managing the environment); (3) Personal Growth (i.e., having a feeling of continued development); (4) Positive Relations with Others (i.e., having warm, satisfying, and trusting relationships with others); (5) Purpose in Life (i.e., having goals and a sense of direction in life); and, (6) Self-acceptance (i.e., possessing a positive attitude toward the self).<p> Employing Ryffs (1989, 1995) perspective of eudaimonic well-being, this study explored whether or not experiencing eudaimonia during HEPA moderates the relationship between HEPA and eudaimonic well-being. Additionally, it explored whether or not the relationship between experiencing eudaimonia during HEPA and eudaimonic well-being is mediated by basic need satisfaction. Undergraduate university students (N = 524; Mage = 20.7 years) completed an online survey including the Scales of Psychological Well-Being (Ryff & Keyes, 1995), the Short Questionnaire to Assess Health-enhancing Physical Activity (Wendel-Vos et al., 2003), the Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activity scale (Huta & Ryan, 2008), and the Psychological Need Satisfaction in Exercise Scale (Wilson, Rogers, et al., 2006). While level of HEPA was not significantly related to eudaimonic well-being (r = .05, p = .24), experiencing hedonia during HEPA (i.e., enjoying oneself, experiencing pleasure; r = .40, p < .01), experiencing eudaimonia during HEPA (r = .37, p < .01), and basic need satisfaction (r = .46, p < .01) were significantly related to eudaimonic well-being. Although experiencing eudaimonia during HEPA did not moderate the relationship between HEPA and eudaimonic well-being, experiencing eudaimonia during HEPA accounted for a significant 2.2% unique variance in eudaimonic well-being beyond HEPA and experiencing hedonia during HEPA (the full model accounted for a significant 18.2% of the variance in eudaimonic well-being).<p> Furthermore, the data were consistent with a model of partial mediation in that basic need satisfaction partially accounted for the relationship between experiencing eudaimonia during HEPA and eudaimonic well-being, supporting the proposition put forth by Ryan et al. (2008) that positive psychological well-being is a result of eudaimonic living that facilitates the satisfaction of our basic psychological needs. Findings from this study suggest that what appears to be significant in the relationship between HEPA and eudaimonic well-being is not the level of activity, but rather what is experienced during the activity. Future research may explore the directionality of the relationship by examining the extent to which eudaimonic well-being influences what is experienced during activity.

Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between physical activity and physiological health (e.g., Burke et al., 2006; Irwin, 2004). Less attention has been paid to the contribution of physical activity on psychological well-being (Fox et al., 2000), and more specifically eudaimonic well-being, which reflects optimal psychological functioning and development at ones maximum potential (Ryff, 1989, 1995). This study investigated the role that health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA; any form of physical activity that benefits health and functional capacity; Miilunpalo et al., 2000) plays in eudaimonic well-being, which Ryff conceptualizes in terms of six dimensions: (1) Autonomy (i.e., being self-determined and independent); (2) Environmental Mastery (i.e., having a sense of mastery and competence in managing the environment); (3) Personal Growth (i.e., having a feeling of continued development); (4) Positive Relations with Others (i.e., having warm, satisfying, and trusting relationships with others); (5) Purpose in Life (i.e., having goals and a sense of direction in life); and, (6) Self-acceptance (i.e., possessing a positive attitude toward the self).<p> Employing Ryffs (1989, 1995) perspective of eudaimonic well-being, this study explored whether or not experiencing eudaimonia during HEPA moderates the relationship between HEPA and eudaimonic well-being. Additionally, it explored whether or not the relationship between experiencing eudaimonia during HEPA and eudaimonic well-being is mediated by basic need satisfaction. Undergraduate university students (N = 524; Mage = 20.7 years) completed an online survey including the Scales of Psychological Well-Being (Ryff & Keyes, 1995), the Short Questionnaire to Assess Health-enhancing Physical Activity (Wendel-Vos et al., 2003), the Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activity scale (Huta & Ryan, 2008), and the Psychological Need Satisfaction in Exercise Scale (Wilson, Rogers, et al., 2006). While level of HEPA was not significantly related to eudaimonic well-being (r = .05, p = .24), experiencing hedonia during HEPA (i.e., enjoying oneself, experiencing pleasure; r = .40, p < .01), experiencing eudaimonia during HEPA (r = .37, p < .01), and basic need satisfaction (r = .46, p < .01) were significantly related to eudaimonic well-being. Although experiencing eudaimonia during HEPA did not moderate the relationship between HEPA and eudaimonic well-being, experiencing eudaimonia during HEPA accounted for a significant 2.2% unique variance in eudaimonic well-being beyond HEPA and experiencing hedonia during HEPA (the full model accounted for a significant 18.2% of the variance in eudaimonic well-being).<p> Furthermore, the data were consistent with a model of partial mediation in that basic need satisfaction partially accounted for the relationship between experiencing eudaimonia during HEPA and eudaimonic well-being, supporting the proposition put forth by Ryan et al. (2008) that positive psychological well-being is a result of eudaimonic living that facilitates the satisfaction of our basic psychological needs. Findings from this study suggest that what appears to be significant in the relationship between HEPA and eudaimonic well-being is not the level of activity, but rather what is experienced during the activity. Future research may explore the directionality of the relationship by examining the extent to which eudaimonic well-being influences what is experienced during activity.

Studies in the areas of goal pursuit and well-being suggest that the goals people work toward in their daily lives are important contributors of well-being. However, research to date has focused primarily on aspects of the individual in goal pursuit even though goals are not pursued in isolation. In fact, there is evidence that this emphasis on the individual, particularly salient in Western cultures, has negative consequences at both the individual and community levels. With regard to well-being, data have indicated that it is best represented as two dimensional, including hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. However, the research on personal goals has primarily focused on hedonic well-being of the individual. Overall, hedonic well-being appears to be more related to affective experience, whereas eudaimonic well-being appears to be more comprehensive and related to topics like purpose in life, self-acceptance, and positive relations with others. The theoretical framework of Virtue Ethics posits that social affiliations are essential for human beings to flourish and experience eudaimonia, and this study examines that premise. A two-step approach to structural equation modeling was used to contribute to the extant literature on goal pursuit and well-being by 1) exploring the individual and interpersonal dimensions of goal pursuit and their relationships to hedonic and eudaimonic well-being and 2) exploring the interpersonal dimensions of goal pursuit as a mediator of the relationship between individual dimensions of goal pursuit and eudaimonic well-being. The retained structural model from the two-step approach included Efficacy (an Individual Dimension of Goal Pursuit) and Generativity (an Interpersonal Dimension of Goal Pursuit). Results demonstrated that Efficacy and Generativity were both significantly related to Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-being; however, Generativity was more strongly related to Eudaimonic than Hedonic Well-being. These findings were consistent with the premise of Virtue theory, that those engaged in goal pursuit with or on behalf of others are more likely to experience higher levels of eudaimonic well-being. Future research should include further exploration of the Interpersonal Dimensions of Goal Pursuit and well-being specifically by focusing on improving measurement for the Interpersonal Dimensions of Goal Pursuit, Hedonic, and Eudaimonic Well-being.

Because of the impact of stress on health, it is important to understand the variables that underlie cardiovascular reactivity to stress because it may lead to more focused targets of intervention for helping people to reduce or otherwise better manage their stress. The purpose of the present study was to answer the following questions: does lack of eudaimonic well-being (a combination of psychological and social well-being) predict increased cardiovascular reactivity to stress in a clinically distressed population? And does increased eudaimonic well-being protect against increased cardiovascular reactivity to stress when hedonic well-being (a combination of positive affect and life satisfaction) is low and depression and stress are high? If so, then it may be possible to reduce the effects of stress on health even if depression and stress are present. One hundred twenty-nine college students (ages 18-29) who were clinically distressed were administered a questionnaire that included questions about demographic variables and measures of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, depression, and general perceived stress. After answering the questionnaire, a baseline reading of cardiovascular activity was taken. After the baseline reading, participants were subjected to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), an interpersonal stressor that consists of an anticipation period, a speech, and a math task. Measurements of cardiovascular activity were taken throughout the TSST. I predicted that lower levels of eudaimonic and hedonic well-being, mental health, and higher amounts of general perceived stress would predict increased cardiovascular reactivity to the TSST as measured by systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate. Then, should the prior hypothesis be true, I predicted that higher eudaimonic well-being will suppress the effect of lower hedonic will-being, lower mental health, and higher general perceived stress on cardiovascular activity to acute stress. Results of the study found no effect of eudaimonic well-being, hedonic well-being, depression, and general perceived stress on cardiovascular reactivity during the TSST. The results suggest that there is no relationship between well-being, depression, and general perceived stress and cardiovascular reactivity to stress in a young college student population.

The present thesis provides a theoretical overview, including a neurobiological perspective, of well-being (WB), eudaimonic well-being (EWB), optimism, pessimism and cultural differences between Western and Eastern societies.  In addition, an empirical study investigated these concepts in Japanese and Swedish participants. Definitional problems and scarce neurobiological findings are two current problems to date within research on WB, EWB and cultural differences especially when looking at comparisons between Europe and East Asia. Interpretations and conclusions are therefore hard and tentative to make as more research is yet needed. This thesis empirical part therefore investigated the association between these concepts. In the best of the authors knowledge have this type of explorative study never been done before. 142 Swedish participants and 68 Japanese participants between the ages of 20 to 40 answered the self-reporting questionnaires; revised life orientation test (LOT-R), psychological well-being scale (SPWB) and the minimalist well-being scale (MWBS). The findings demonstrate that Swedish people report higher levels of optimism compared with Japanese people whom in turn report higher levels of pessimism when measured with LOT-R. Findings further demonstrate that Swedish people report higher levels of EWB when measured with SPWB. In comparison do Japanese people report higher levels of EWB when measured with MWBS. A difference was found in response pattern between MWBS and SPWB. And last did the findings suggest correlations in total scores of MWBS, SPWB and LOT-R but not within all sub-dimensions. Discussion of the results, limitations of the thesis and suggestions for future research concludes the thesis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on Swedish business owners. Based on conservation of resources theory, it was predicted that two stressors (perceived uncertainty and financial prognosis) and one resource (eudaimonic well-being) are predictors of personal and financial success of business owners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, moderation effects of eudaimonic well-being on uncertainty and financial prognosis on both success aspects were hypothesized. Data from 210 Swedish business owners were collected during May-June 2020 (Time 1), of these 67 participated a second time in February 2021 (Time 2). Using hierarchical multiple regression analyses over different time periods, results revealed that uncertainty and financial prognosis were negatively associated with personal and financial success. The hypothesized moderation effects of eudaimonic well-being were not significant. Results were relatively stable for the different time periods and longitudinal associations were found.

Well-being is a human goal globally and has been considered so since the early days of philosophical thought. As the science of well-being has grown the last decades, well-being has widely been agreed to consist of two core components: Hedonic well-being and Eudaimonic well-being. These components have been studied to a large extent and further explored, conceptualized, and divided. How components of well-being interrelate is still being explored, as well of what drivers there are of experiencing well-being.Self-compassion is a relatively new field within psychology and cognitive neuroscience research which has been linked to components of well-being. Thus, the first aim of this study was to provide a theoretical overview of previous studies of the relationship between well-being and self-compassion. As research of self-compassion is still in its infancy, there are yet very few studies on self-compassion and its relationship to well-being in different cultures. The concept stems from East-Asian culture, and if self-compassion is important for well-being globally, or if it is depending on difference in culture, has been discussed. Hence, the second aim was to explore if there would be a potential relationship between self-compassion and well-being in a Cuban sample, as there is a lack of research in that region. 200 university students in Havana participated and filled in a questionnaire regarding subjective well-being, psychological well-being, and self-compassion. Results revealed that there was a significant relationship between well-being and self-compassion, and especially between psychological well-being and self-compassion. Components of well-being correlated with each other as well. These results go in line with previous research. Hence the present study suggests that the patterns of correlations between self-compassion and well-being is similar in Cuban university students as in other cultures studied so far.

Eudaimonic well-being, which leads to personal functioning, finds increasing attention in entrepreneurshipresearch. Its positive effects suggest that eudaimonia helps individuals to overcome difficulties andchallenges which the entrepreneurial process brings. Based on the self-determination theory, individualswith higher eudaimonic well-being can also be expected to be more likely to enter self-employment asoccupational choice proactively. Thus, this thesis builds a construct which shows the influence ofeudaimonic well-being on the process of entering and sustaining in self-employment. The methodologicalapproach to measure eudaimonic well-being is built on existing research. Using eudaimonia to predictentrepreneurial entry and persistence is novel and tested on a large panel dataset from Australia.The findings show, contrary to the literature, no difference in eudaimonic well-being of those who changefrom paid employment to self-employment compared to those who stay in paid employment. The resultsalthough fail to reject the hypothesis that eudaimonic well-being influences the likelihood of entrepreneurialpersistence. Higher eudaimonic well-being shows, statistically not significant, positive impact on thechances to sustain in self-employment. This adds evidence to existing literature on entrepreneurialpersistence and eudaimonic well-being. Activities that increase eudaimonia can therefore be seen asbeneficial to create long-term persistent entrepreneurs and businesses.

Eudaimonic psychological well-being (PWB) refers to a lifelong process of purposeful engagement in goal-driven tasks or activities resulting in positive psychological functioning. These activities reflect autonomy, purpose in life, self-acceptance, personal growth, positive relations with others, and environmental mastery. While more women are surviving breast cancer, they face a multitude of late and long term physiopsychosocial challenges that result from being diagnosed and treated. Protective health effects associated with the experience of PWB can potentially mitigate ill-being and benefit overall health of breast cancer survivors (BCS). Adequate preparation by healthcare teams to transition them from primary treatment to early survivorship is critical for the immediate and long term PWB of BCS. The purpose of this dissertation was to: 1) summarize current literature addressing PWB among BCS; 2) describe the helpfulness of information BCS satisfied and dissatisfied receive from their healthcare team to prepare to transition into life immediately after treatment; and 3) examine relationships between PWB and factors that negatively influence BCS’ ability to successfully transition to early survivorship Three manuscripts describe results of data analysis. From a literature review, factors that correlate with PWB among BCS were identified: coping, social support, self-esteem, post-traumatic growth, religious struggles and the impact of physical symptoms. Based on qualitative responses, BCS who are satisfied and dissatisfied with information received to prepare for transition into early survivorship emphasized the importance of receiving comprehensive information on: (1) what to expect physically and emotionally post-treatment, and (2) how their lives moving forward will be unlike their lives prior to being diagnosed. Among a convenience sample of 56 BCS, significant negative relationships between PWB and a) cancer problems frequently experienced by early survivors of breast cancer, b) psychological distress, and c) satisfaction with information received to transition from primary treatment into early survivorship was noted from a prospective, cross-sectional research design study. PWB is becoming increasingly important given that BCS live longer. Information learned from this dissertation can be used by healthcare teams to promote or maintain positive psychological functioning among these survivors, focusing initially on preparing them for life immediately after treatment.

The COVID-19 pandemic had considerable effects on the tourism industry as well as on individuals. The lockdown led to long-lasting mental health consequences. Equally, awareness of well-being increased, and consequently, demand for tourism experiences that focus on well-being rose. Concerning the tourism industry, a rethinking process was evoked through the pandemic. Tourism scholars were in consensus that a paradigm shift was needed to counteract current sociocultural and environmental challenges while responding to the need to provide tourist offers that support the mental and physical health of consumers. The regenerative tourism paradigm offers a solution as it withdraws from the pro-growth agenda of the current tourism industry and strives towards a net positive impact on nature, people, and planet. The rise in well-being for the whole system is thereby aimed.The study contributed to the understanding of the regenerative tourism paradigm from the traveler's perspective. Thereby, travelers’ well-being is conceptualized in a multidimensional way including hedonic, eudaimonic, and social well-being. The aim of this study is to understand how different dimensions of well-being are experienced in regenerative tourism. A qualitative approach is applied by using interviews and observations to gather information. The case and research setting is thereby Mahakala Retreats Center in Montenegro which aligns with the principles of a regenerative tourism space. The narrative analysis following an inductive approach leads to the identification of three core themes that represent the answer to the research question. Findings reveal that hedonic well-being is experienced through being in a safe space, surrounded by beauty and nature. The dimension of social well-being is experienced by connecting with other retreat guests and lastly, eudaimonic well-being is experienced through self-reflection. These experiences are all fostered by the regenerative tourism space. It is argued that well-being itself constitutes the regenerative tourism experience, not an activity. The study furthermore identifies three new aspects of a regenerative tourism experience that go beyond the current established principles. Hence, experiencing beauty, experiencing a safe space and the balance between solitude and connection are aspects that are of high importance in regenerative tourism from the travelers' perspective.