Whether, When, and How Is Spirituality Related to Well-Being? Moving Beyond Single Occasion Questionnaires to Understanding Daily Process
Abstract
Prior research suggests that spirituality is positively related to well-being. Nevertheless, within-person variability in spirituality has yet to be addressed. Do people experience greater spirituality on some days versus others? Does daily spirituality predict daily well-being? Do within-person relationships between spirituality and well-being vary as a function of trait spirituality? The authors examined such questions using a daily diary study with 87 participants who provided reports of their daily spirituality and well-being for a total of 1,239 days. They found that daily spirituality was positively related to meaning in life, self-esteem, and positive affect, and the link from daily spirituality to both self-esteem and positive affect was fully mediated by meaning in life. Moreover, within-person relationships between daily spirituality and self-esteem and meaning in life were stronger for people higher in trait spirituality. Lagged analyses found positive relationships between present day spirituality and next day's meaning in life; there was no evidence for meaning in life as a predictor of the next day's spirituality. When focusing on affect, for people higher in trait spirituality, greater negative affect (and lower positive affect) predicted greater spirituality the next day. These results provide new insights into how spirituality operates as a fluctuating experience in daily life.
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Daily self-esteem was measured with two items adapted from the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale used in prior daily diary studies.
“We measured daily self-esteem with two items adapted from the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965) used in prior daily diary studies (Kashdan & Nezlek, 2012; Nezlek & Plesko, 2001)”
From Commitment to a purpose in life: An antidote to the suffering by individuals with social anxiety disorder. (2013) · cites this paper as Kashdan & Nezlek, 2012
Cites
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“This fits with prior research suggesting that spiritual experiences are often spawned by situations involving danger, loss, and adversity (Bonanno, 2004; Bourque & Back, 1971; Joseph & Linley, 2005; Park, 2010).”
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“…and possible futures, and “the intention to accomplish something that is at once meaningful to the self and of consequence to the world beyond the self” (Damon, Menon, & Bronk, 2003, p. 121) otherwise known as purpose in life (Kashdan & McKnight, 2009; McKnight & Kashdan, 2009; Steger, 2009).”
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“…worldview, theorists argue that spirituality offers a clear set of beliefs about secular and sacred aspects of life, a stable sense of self and group identity that in turn provides a sense of belonging and meaning in life (Graham & Haidt, 2010; Pargament, 2002; Ysseldyk, Matheson, & Anisman, 2010).”
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Brockman, R., Ciarrochi, J., Parker, P., & Kashdan, T. (2017) · Cognitive Behaviour Therapy · doi:10.1080/16506073.2016.1218926 · Cited by 427 · see citing works
Self-citationExperiential avoidance and well-being: A daily diary analysis
Machell, K. A., Goodman, F. R., & Kashdan, T. B. (2015) · Cognition and Emotion · doi:10.1080/02699931.2014.911143 · Cited by 122 · see citing works
Self-citationKashdan, T. B., & McKnight, P. E. (2013) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/a0033278 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
“…accounts for some of this daily variability in meaning in life and other well-being dimensions that fluctuate day-to-day, such as self-esteem (Heppner et al., 2008; Nezlek & Plesko, 2001) and positive and negative affect (Kashdan & Nezlek, 2012; Laurenceau , Troy, & Carver, 2005; Nezlek, 2005).”
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Daniel, K. E., Daros, A. R., Beltzer, M. L., Boukhechba, M., Barnes, L. E., & Teachman, B. A. (2020) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/s10608-020-10088-2 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
- Authors
- Kashdan, T. B., & Nezlek, J. B.
- Affiliations
- George Mason University (US)
- William & Mary (US)
- Venue
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2012-08-01
- Volume
- 38
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1523-1535
- ISSN
- 0146-1672 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-7433
- OpenAlex
- W2004086406
- Cited by
- 170
- References
- 11
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 9.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Demography › Workplace Spirituality and Leadership
- Keywords
- spirituality, well-being, within-person variability, daily fluctuations, meaning in life, self-esteem, positive affect, negative affect, mediation, lagged effects, daily diary
- MeSH terms
- Activities of Daily Living, Adolescent, Adult, Female, Health Status, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Personal Satisfaction, Quality of Life, Surveys and Questionnaires, Self Concept, United States, Internet, Spirituality, Young Adult, Self Report
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