Vicarious life stories: Examining relations to personal life stories and well-being

•Features of vicarious life stories are related to personal life stories.•This effect does not extend to vicarious life stories for ex-friends/partners.•Vicarious life stories for mothers are related to mothers’ personal life stories.•Vicarious life stories are less positive than personal life stories.•Vicarious life stories do not explain well-being beyond personal life stories. We examined relationships between vicarious life stories for mothers and distant others, personal life stories, and well-being. Participants described chapters in their mothers’ and personal life stories, self-rated chapters on emotional tone and meaning, and completed well-being measures. In Studies 3 and 4, participants described chapters for distant others. In Study 4, mothers’ personal life stories were collected. In Studies 2–4, chapters were coded for redemption, agency, and communion. Qualities of vicarious and personal life stories were positively related, except for ex-boy/girlfriends (Study 4). Vicarious life stories were less positive and were less consistently related to well-being than personal life stories. Vicarious life stories for mothers were positively related to both participants’ personal life stories and mothers’ personal life stories.