Why Do People with High Mindfulness Experience Greater Eudaimonic Well-Being? Integrating Self-Determination Theory and the Mindfulness Reperceiving Model

Although previous studies have found that mindfulness positively predicts eudaimonic well-being, the underlying mechanism remains to be explored and verified from a theoretical perspective. By integrating self-determination theory and the mindfulness reperceiving model, this study explored the mediating roles of decentering, intrinsic goals, and autonomous motivation in the relationship between mindfulness and eudaimonic well-being among 497 undergraduate students aged 17 to 30 (359 females and 138 males). Structural equation modeling analyses showed that decentering, intrinsic goals, and autonomous motivation mediated the relationship between mindfulness and eudaimonic well-being. Moreover, mindfulness was linked to eudaimonic well-being through the sequential pathways of "decentering → intrinsic goals" and "decentering → autonomous motivation." These findings deepen our insights into how mindfulness is linked to eudaimonic well-being from a self-regulation perspective and provide a reference for the targeted application of mindfulness training to enhance eudaimonic well-being.