The Role of Savoring in Work-Family Conflict

Abstract

Building on positive psychology research, I examined savoring as an important positive psychological asset of the individual, and investigated its impact on work-family conflict (WFC). Data were gathered from 354 dual-earner couples working in different organizations. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that savoring was negatively related to WFC, indicating that individuals who are high in the capacity for overall savoring, experience lower levels of work-family conflict than do those low in that capacity. When I considered the components of savoring, I found that WFC was also negatively associated with savoring the moment, but not associated with savoring through anticipation and savoring through reminiscence. I have contributed to the literature by presenting empirical evidence supporting the impact on WFC of individuals' beliefs about their ability to savor positive circumstances.