Optimal experience : the relationship between flow, psychological richness and well-being

Background: Research on markers of the “good life” has shown that experiencing flow positively correlates with eudaimonic and hedonic well-being. However, recently the dichotomous view of well-being has been challenged by research on psychological richness as a new type of well-being. Aim: In this study, the relationship between flow, and well-being is investigated with an additional focus on psychological richness as firstly, a correlate of flow and secondly, a moderator of the effect of flow on well-being. Method: Employing a cross-sectional design with convenience sampling, the sample of 118 university students filled out a modified version of the Flow State Questionnaire (FSQ), the Mental Health Continuum Short-Form (MHC-SF) and the Psychologically Rich Life Questionnaire (PRLQ). Results: The results for the relationship between flow on eudaimonic and hedonic well-being mirrored previous research with a moderately strong positive correlation between the constructs. Furthermore, flow weakly positively correlated with psychological richness. Lastly, a moderation effect of psychological richness on the relationship between flow and eudaimonic and hedonic well-being was not found. Conclusion: This study is in line with previous research, which showed a correlation between flow and well-being. Moreover, results revealed that flow positively correlates with psychological richness, giving completely new insight into flow and its relation to well-being. However, this study also provides evidence that there is no moderation effect of psychological richness on the relationship between flow and eudaimonic and hedonic well-being.