Self‐compassion and subjective well‐being: A moderated mediation model of online prosocial behavior and gratitude

Abstract Previous studies have shown that personal factors serve as mediators in the link between self‐compassion and subjective well‐being (SWB). However, these studies have neglected the possibility that online prosocial behavior (OPB) may serve as a mediator in the link between self‐compassion and SWB. Based on the PERMA theory of well‐being and the protective‐protective model, the current study examined whether OPB would mediate the association between self‐compassion and individual SWB, and whether gratitude would moderate the association between self‐compassion and OPB. A valid sample of 1488 college students ( M age = 19.84; SD = 1.61) filled out questionnaires regarding demographics, self‐compassion, OPB, gratitude, and SWB. Results showed that, after controlling for gender, age, daily online time, and social desirability, OPB mediated the association between self‐compassion and individual SWB, and gratitude strengthened the positive association between self‐compassion and OPB. These findings reveal that high self‐compassionate and grateful people can enhance their subjective well‐being through behaving prosocially online.