Reasons for pursuing self-set goals have been linked to well-being. The present article examines the link between autonomous goal regulation (the why of goal pursuit) and well-being, considering the role of the basic psychological needs, effort, and goal progress. Three studies were conducted using experience sampling methods in which German-speaking participants (Study 1: N = 207, Study 2: N = 717, Study 3: N = 703) completed 1-4 daily questionnaires over 21 consecutive days. Multilevel structural equation models were used to capture the structure of autonomous goal regulation and need fulfillment on the within-person (moment-to-moment/day-to-day), the between-goal, and the between-person levels. Additionally, the links among the degree of relative autonomous goal regulation, need fulfillment, and well-being were investigated on all three levels. Relative autonomous goal regulation was consistently linked to need fulfillment, which in turn was associated with well-being on the within-person level. On the between-goal and between-person levels, results differed slightly between the three studies but overall suggested similar results as on the within-person level. These findings highlight the central role of the why of goal pursuit for individual's daily well-being. Understanding the link between individual goals and well-being in everyday life may be an important step in helping individuals make better choices about their goals, which in turn could improve their overall well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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我们为什么做我们所做的事情取决于我们的感受：自主目标调节、需求满足和日常生活中的幸福感之间的联系。


追求自我设定目标的原因与幸福感有关。本文探讨了自主目标调节（追求目标的原因）与幸福感之间的联系，考虑了基本心理需求、努力和目标进展的作用。三项研究采用经验抽样方法进行，其中德语参与者（研究 1：N = 207，研究 2：N = 717，研究 3：N = 703）连续 21 天完成 1-4 份每日问卷。使用多层次结构方程模型来捕获自主目标调节的结构以及人内部（时刻到时刻/日常）、目标之间和人与人之间水平的需求满足。此外，还对所有三个层面的相对自主目标调节程度、需求满足和幸福感之间的联系进行了调查。相对自主的目标调节始终与需求满足相关，而需求满足又与个人内部的福祉相关。在目标间和人际层面上，三项研究的结果略有不同，但总体而言，结果与人际层面上的结果相似。这些发现强调了目标追求对于个人日常福祉的核心作用。了解个人目标与日常生活幸福感之间的联系可能是帮助个人更好地选择目标的重要一步，这反过来又可以改善他们的整体幸福感。 （PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2024 APA，保留所有权利）。