Can aversive activity planning backfire? Examining the relationship between aversive planning, agency, well-being, and rumination

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of aversive activity planning on subjective well-being and whether this relationship could be explained by sense of agency. Additionally, it was investigated whether individual differences in rumination moderated the relationship between aversive goal planning and sense of agency. It supports the idea that aversive activity planning lowers feelings of sense of agency and that sense of agency has a positive relationship with subjective well-being. Although, the current study did not result in a clear picture of the effects and underlying mechanism of aversive activity planning on subjective well-being, which may be due to methodological issues. This study did contribute to the existing literature on healthy planning and the use of implementation intentions. It is important to further study the effects of aversive planning on well-being, because it is inevitable to engage in aversive activities.