Psychological well-being correlates positively with psychological need satisfaction—primarily the needs of autonomy, competence,
and relatedness. The current study explores momentary happiness (defined as experienced enjoyment minus experienced stress
over the course of an hour) as a function of momentary psychological need satisfaction. Results demonstrate that hour-by-hour
ratings of psychological need satisfaction were correlated with momentary happiness, with individual differences in life satisfaction
moderating this relationship. Ratings of autonomy and relatedness correlated positively with momentary happiness, while competence
was negatively correlated with momentary happiness. Thus, engagement in competence-promoting behaviors may come at an affective
cost, at least in the moment. When autonomy and relatedness needs were met, individuals with high levels of life satisfaction
experienced greater increases in happiness than individuals with low levels of life satisfaction. This finding supports a
sensitization model of well-being. Results are discussed with respect to their implications for self-determination theory
(SDT).
Keywords Subjective well-being – Happiness – Self-determination theory – Psychological needs