How time orientation matters for happiness: The nonmonotonic relations featured with a middle valley

Abstract

AbstractMost previous studies have shown that focusing on the future predicts higher subjective well‐being (SWB), but some have reported contradictory results. Due to mixed findings on the relationship between time orientation (TO) and SWB, the present study attempted to clarify and reinterpret this relationship from a nonmonotonic perspective by analyzing two large‐scale datasets from the European Social Survey (Study 1; 31 countries, total N = 88,873) and tested the cross‐cultural generalizability of our findings in a Chinese sample (Study 2; N = 797). The results confirmed a nonmonotonic relationship between TO and SWB and first revealed a “Middle Valley Effect.” This effect demonstrated a decreased SWB at the midpoint of the TO scale, indicating that maintaining a dominant TO, whether present or future, rather than being torn between the two, could improve SWB. This nonmonotonic relationship resolves previous inconsistent findings and suggests that an appropriate clear TO can benefit SWB.