Thinking to promote happiness: Need for cognition, subjective well-being, and burnout in different populations

Abstract

The relation between Need for Cognition and well-being receives increasing research interest. We report two studies linking Need for Cognition to well-being in a population representative sample of N = 200 participants and in two further subsamples comprising students (n = 256) and working adults (n = 198). Higher Need for Cognition was strongly associated with increased positive affect and lower burnout levels. Students with higher Need for Cognition were more satisfied with the content of their studies, working individuals reported increased job satisfaction. Our results support the notion of associations between Need for Cognition and well-being while it is necessary to distinguish between well-being facets and burnout dimensions. They indicate that Need for Cognition should be considered a resource for well-being.