The relations between pleasurable emotions and motivations: a daily diary study

We examined how contentment, tranquility, and cheerfulness might be differentially associated with different types of motivation achievements (i.e. psychological need satisfaction and personal striving progress). Participants (n = 177) listed five personal strivings expected to be relevant the following week. Participants then provided daily reports for seven days of: (a) contentment, tranquility, and cheerfulness; (b) satisfaction with psychological needs (affiliation, competence, autonomy, predictability); and (c) personal striving progress. As expected, contentment was more strongly associated with competence satisfaction and striving progress than were tranquility and cheerfulness. As expected, tranquility was less strongly associated with striving progress and affiliation satisfaction than were contentment and cheerfulness. However, contrary to predictions, tranquility was not less strongly associated with the satisfaction of autonomy and predictability than were contentment and cheerfulness. As expected, cheerfulness was more strongly associated with affiliation satisfaction than were contentment and tranquility. Potential explanations for these patterns are discussed.