Shifting narrative perspective and construal level shape emotional response and enhance eudaimonic well-being
Abstract Understanding how people process and reflect upon past negative experiences is critical for promoting eudaimonic well-being. This study examined how psychological distance and construal level during autobiographical memory retrieval jointly influence post-recall affect and eudaimonic well-b...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-01946-8 |
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| author | Xuan Gu Chi-Shing Tse Ho-Chung Tsang Taoran Zeng |
| author_facet | Xuan Gu Chi-Shing Tse Ho-Chung Tsang Taoran Zeng |
| author_sort | Xuan Gu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Understanding how people process and reflect upon past negative experiences is critical for promoting eudaimonic well-being. This study examined how psychological distance and construal level during autobiographical memory retrieval jointly influence post-recall affect and eudaimonic well-being. Participants retrieved negative autobiographical events initially from a 1st-person perspective and subsequently, on a separate day, from a 3rd-person perspective, thereby increasing psychological distance. During each retrieval, participants elaborated either at a high construal level (reflecting on the event’s broader meaning and life implications) or a low construal level (focusing on contextual details, such as location). After each retrieval, participants evaluated mnemonic characteristics of the recalled events, post-recall affective responses, and current eudaimonic well-being. Baseline measures included depression symptoms, dispositional construal level, and initial eudaimonic well-being. Results showed that high-level construal, compared to low-level construal, enhanced subjective vitality and search for meaning in life, while reduced negative post-recall affect. Shifting from a 1st-person to a 3rd-person perspective decreased emotional intensity and further increased meaning-seeking. Notably, beneficial effects of high construal level on eudaimonic well-being were more pronounced when recalling from the 1st-person (vs. 3rd-person) perspective. These findings offer new insights into Construal Level Theory and offer practical implications for expressive writing and well-being intervention. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-11b1ebc90a4e4f0093b205851ca37321 |
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| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| spelling | doaj-art-11b1ebc90a4e4f0093b205851ca373212025-08-20T02:05:13ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-06-0115111310.1038/s41598-025-01946-8Shifting narrative perspective and construal level shape emotional response and enhance eudaimonic well-beingXuan Gu0Chi-Shing Tse1Ho-Chung Tsang2Taoran Zeng3Department of Social Work, School of Philosophy and Social Development, Shandong UniversityDepartment of Educational Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong KongDepartment of Educational Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong KongDepartment of Educational Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong KongAbstract Understanding how people process and reflect upon past negative experiences is critical for promoting eudaimonic well-being. This study examined how psychological distance and construal level during autobiographical memory retrieval jointly influence post-recall affect and eudaimonic well-being. Participants retrieved negative autobiographical events initially from a 1st-person perspective and subsequently, on a separate day, from a 3rd-person perspective, thereby increasing psychological distance. During each retrieval, participants elaborated either at a high construal level (reflecting on the event’s broader meaning and life implications) or a low construal level (focusing on contextual details, such as location). After each retrieval, participants evaluated mnemonic characteristics of the recalled events, post-recall affective responses, and current eudaimonic well-being. Baseline measures included depression symptoms, dispositional construal level, and initial eudaimonic well-being. Results showed that high-level construal, compared to low-level construal, enhanced subjective vitality and search for meaning in life, while reduced negative post-recall affect. Shifting from a 1st-person to a 3rd-person perspective decreased emotional intensity and further increased meaning-seeking. Notably, beneficial effects of high construal level on eudaimonic well-being were more pronounced when recalling from the 1st-person (vs. 3rd-person) perspective. These findings offer new insights into Construal Level Theory and offer practical implications for expressive writing and well-being intervention.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-01946-8Autobiographical memoryConstrual levelEudaimonic well-beingNarrative perspectivePositive and negative affectPsychological distance |
| spellingShingle | Xuan Gu Chi-Shing Tse Ho-Chung Tsang Taoran Zeng Shifting narrative perspective and construal level shape emotional response and enhance eudaimonic well-being Scientific Reports Autobiographical memory Construal level Eudaimonic well-being Narrative perspective Positive and negative affect Psychological distance |
| title | Shifting narrative perspective and construal level shape emotional response and enhance eudaimonic well-being |
| title_full | Shifting narrative perspective and construal level shape emotional response and enhance eudaimonic well-being |
| title_fullStr | Shifting narrative perspective and construal level shape emotional response and enhance eudaimonic well-being |
| title_full_unstemmed | Shifting narrative perspective and construal level shape emotional response and enhance eudaimonic well-being |
| title_short | Shifting narrative perspective and construal level shape emotional response and enhance eudaimonic well-being |
| title_sort | shifting narrative perspective and construal level shape emotional response and enhance eudaimonic well being |
| topic | Autobiographical memory Construal level Eudaimonic well-being Narrative perspective Positive and negative affect Psychological distance |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-01946-8 |
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