Know Thyself: Insight Moderates the Relationship between Goal-Concordant Motivation and Positive Emotions

Motivation is a fundamental component of human development. Psychologists have examined the link between motivation and emotion for decades. To our knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to focus on potential moderation effects of private self-consciousness on the relationship between goal-concordant motivation and subjective well-being. We surveyed 433 participants between the ages of 18-89. Findings extend previous research showing age differences in goal concordance (specifically, introjected motivation) and that goal concordance predicts all aspects of subjective well-being. Novel findings demonstrate that private self-consciousness (specifically, insight) successfully moderated the association between goal-concordant motivation and positive emotions.