Self‐congruence and the experience of happiness

The five studies reported here assessed the relation of the arousal of happiness in a given situation and the congruence between a person's self‐perception in that event (working self) and his/her ideal self. They assessed subjects' ideal selves, their working selves in particular events, and the intensity of the happiness they felt in those events. In addition, they assessed subjects' habitual self‐concept and their ought self in order to test alternative hypotheses. The findings of the five studies supported our hypothesis that the short‐lived state of happiness reflects the situational validation of the ideal self. They demonstrated that happiness in a given event increased with the congruence between the ideal self and the working self in that event. This relation was obtained whether the events were past, current, or hypothetical, and via the use of different assessment techniques. The discussion focused on the conceptualization of the short‐lived state of happiness. 1991 The British Psychological Society