REALIZATION OF PERSONAL VALUES PREDICTS MENTAL HEALTH AND SATISFACTION WITH LIFE IN A GERMAN POPULATION

Living according to one's personal values is expected to promote mental health and satisfaction with life. However, there is scarce empirical research on the effects of the relative importance of values and their realization in daily life. We implemented a new measure to examine the realization of Schwartz's values and its correlation with mental health and satisfaction with life in two German online samples. Analysis of sample 1 (n = 6,989; 70.2% female) reveals that both the importance and realization of Schwartz's values have a hierarchical organization corresponding to basic requirements of successful social functioning. Correlational analyses between the importance and realization of values indicate that with respect to their importance, values representing conservation are more consistently realized than values representing self-transcendence, self-enhancement, and openness to change. In sample 2 (n = 163; 71.3% female), hierarchical regression analysis show that realization of values significantly predicts mental health and satisfaction with life. The realization of values indicating openness to change (e.g., stimulation, hedonism) is especially associated with better mental health and higher satisfaction with life. The health-promoting and health-harming effects of value realization as well as discrepancies between value importance and realization might be considered in clinical interventions and future research.