Unveiling subjective well-being: the role of reward processing and resilience

Clarifying factors contributing to subjective well-being (SWB) is paramount to the understanding optimal functioning and positive human experience. Among these, reward processing appears promising, with evidence suggesting it may contribute to resilience, to further promote SWB. However, direct evidence for this hypothesis is lacking, and indirect evidence is scant and scattered. Building on these caveats, this study sought (1) to investigate associations between reward processing and resilience with SWB, and (2) to test the mediating role of resilience in the association between reward processing and SWB. Aligned with recommendations suggesting that using multiple indicators and distinguishing between cognitive and affective dimensions of SWB may refine its understanding, multiple SWB measures were employed. Participants ( N = 300; m age = 32.53; SD = 12.30) completed cognitive (i.e., satisfaction with life) and affective measures of SWB (i.e., positive and negative affect), and stress, as well as scales evaluating reward processing and resilience. Findings indicated that reward processing was positively associated with resilience, and all SWB dimensions including satisfaction with life and positive affect, and negatively associated with negative affect and stress. Moreover, resilience mediated associations between reward processing and all SWB dimensions. These findings extend existing knowledge on SWB and provide a refined understanding of this construct through the lens of reward processing and resilience. If replicated in longitudinal and experimental studies, they may have important practical implications for interventions targeting reward processing and resilience.