How Savoring Beliefs Sustain Positive Emotion Under Conditions of Job Stress: Affective Mechanisms Linking Job Stress to Burnout in Young Korean Workers

Abstract

This study examined positive emotion as a mediator linking job stress to burnout and tested the moderating role of savoring beliefs among young Korean employees. A total of 510 participants completed measures of job stress, savoring beliefs, positive emotion, and burnout. Results revealed that positive emotion partially mediated the relationship between job stress and burnout. Furthermore, analyses of savoring beliefs’ temporal components showed that present-moment savoring and positive future anticipation significantly buffered the negative impact of job stress on positive emotion, whereas past-focused savoring did not demonstrate a significant moderating effect. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing the temporal facets of savoring beliefs and highlight specific emotional resources that support resilience in early-career workers. Practical implications for employment counseling include incorporating actionable intervention strategies that strengthen present- and future-oriented savoring beliefs to help maintain positive emotion and prevent burnout under job stress among young employees.