The Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities (HEMA) in Japan: The pursuit of well-being

Abstract

Hedonia (seeking pleasure and relaxation) and eudaimonia (seeking to improve oneself in congruence with one's values) uniquely contribute to well-being. The authors developed and tested the construct validity of a Japanese version of the Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities (HEMA) scale that had been originally developed in North America. Drawing on the theoretical and empirical evidence from research on emotion, we proposed that people would pursue well-being in three different directions: pleasure, relaxation, and eudaimonia. In Study 1, we used the original HEMA scale to examine the Japanese attainment of well-being. The results supported the hypothesized three-factor model. Study 2 revealed that the Japanese version of the HEMA scale measured pleasure, relaxation, and eudaimonia. Each of these subscales showed statistically sufficient internal consistency. There was no gender difference in any of these measures. Scores on the scale systematically corresponded with external criterion variables, such as life satisfaction, affect, Ryff's psychological well-being, social support, and lifestyle. Implications for psychological research and public policies that cover the topic of the pursuit of well-being are discussed.

Measuring hedonia and eudaimonia as motives for activities: cross-national investigation through traditional and Bayesian structural equation modeling

“…Based on the theoretical assumptions underlying the HEMA scale, a model separating the hedonic and the eudaimonic factor was expected. Previous exploratory analyses revealed the existence of such two-factor structure (Huta and Ryan, 2010; Anić, 2014). However, a recent confirmatory analysis of the Japanese version of the HEMA scale revealed that a three-factor structure is a better representation of the scale's structure (Asano et al, 2014).…”

“…Previous exploratory analyses revealed the existence of such two-factor structure (Huta and Ryan, 2010; Anić, 2014). However, a recent confirmatory analysis of the Japanese version of the HEMA scale revealed that a three-factor structure is a better representation of the scale's structure (Asano et al, 2014). Therefore, our goals were to (1) determine the factor structure of the scale, and (2) validate the performance of the short 8-item instrument.…”

“…This corresponds with the argument that pleasure—a proactive search for positive experiences—should be distinguished from comfort defined as a state of biological indifference (Scitovsky, 1976; Cabanac, 2010). For this reason the hedonic scale could actually be divided into the two dimensions of seeking relaxation and seeking pleasure (Asano et al, 2014). …”

The Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities: Measurement Invariance and Psychometric Properties in an Adult Japanese Sample

“…The HEMA scale has been translated into many languages, including German, Swedish, Polish, Italian, and Japanese (see, for a review, Huta, 2016). Although the HEMA scale was originally developed to operationalize hedonic and eudaimonic orientations (Huta and Ryan, 2010), recent evidence has shown that the hedonic orientation of the scale can be divided into two different components (Asano et al, 2014(Asano et al, , 2018Bujacz et al, 2014;Braaten et al, 2019). "Hedonic pleasure" and "hedonic relaxation" orientations refer to striving to feel enjoyment and comfort, respectively.…”

“…"Eudaimonic" orientation refers to striving to do what is meaningful, even if difficult to achieve. Research on the Japanese HEMA scale with student samples demonstrated that the three-factor model was better than the two-factor model and showed that the three subscales were adequately reliable and valid (Asano et al, 2014(Asano et al, , 2018.…”