# The Roles of Happiness Motives in Cognitive Reappraisal and Expressive Suppression: A Longitudinal Study in Emerging Adults

## TL;DR

This study explores how happiness motives affect emotion regulation strategies over time in young adults.

## Contribution

The study provides longitudinal evidence on how eudaimonic motives predict future use of cognitive reappraisal.

## Key findings

- Hedonic and eudaimonic motives are linked to cognitive reappraisal but not expressive suppression.
- Eudaimonic motives predict future use of cognitive reappraisal six months later.
- The association remains significant after controlling for age and gender.

## Abstract

It has been hypothesized that happiness motives (including hedonic and eudaimonic motives) are associated with emotion regulation, which could further influence individuals’ well-being. However, less is known about the longitudinal effects of these motives on emotion regulation in emerging adults. To address this gap, the present study employed a two-wave longitudinal design with a six-month interval among a sample of 287 emerging adults (18–26 years; M = 20.23 and SD = 1.60). The findings showed that hedonic and eudaimonic motives were significantly associated with cognitive reappraisal, whereas no significant associations were observed with expressive suppression. Importantly, eudaimonic motives positively predicted cognitive reappraisal six months later, but hedonic motives did not, whereas neither motive significantly predicted expressive suppression. This association remained significant when age and gender were included as covariates. These findings extend the research on happiness motives and emotion regulation by providing longitudinal insights and have important practical implications for practitioners in terms of reinforcing eudaimonic motives to better utilize cognitive reappraisal strategies.