The relationship between need satisfaction and motivation is well established within self‐determination theory (SDT). However, less is known about the affective mechanism that underlies this relationship. In this study, we extend SDT by focusing on the exact role of affect in the need satisfaction–motivation relationship. To this end, we conducted a daily diary study (N = 72) and an experience sampling study (N = 37) in which we tested the mediating role of positive and negative affect in the relationship between satisfaction of the autonomy, competence, and relatedness need on the one hand and autonomous motivation on the other hand. Moreover, alternative models were tested. The results of both studies demonstrated that affect did mediate the need satisfaction–intrinsic motivation relationship. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. Practitioner points Organizations can influence the intrinsic motivation of employees by changing working conditions to fulfil employees' needs. Organizations can influence intrinsic motivation by changing the appraisals of working conditions.

Despite the fact that studies on self-determination theory have traditionally disregarded the explicit role of emotions in the motivation eliciting process, research attention for the affective antecedents of motivation is growing. We add to this emerging research field by testing the moderating role of emotion differentiation –individual differences in the extent to which people can differentiate between specific emotions– on the relationship between twelve specific emotions and intrinsic motivation. To this end, we conducted a daily diary study (N = 72) and an experience sampling study (N = 34). Results showed that the relationship between enthusiasm, cheerfulness, optimism, contentedness, gloominess, miserableness, uneasiness (in both studies 1 and 2), calmness, relaxation, tenseness, depression, worry (only in Study 1) on one hand and intrinsic motivation on the other hand was moderated by positive emotion differentiation for the positive emotions and by negative emotion differentiation for the negative emotions. Altogether, these findings suggest that for people who are unable to distinguish between different specific positive emotions the relationship between those specific positive emotions and intrinsic motivation is stronger, whereas the relationship between specific negative emotions and intrinsic motivation is weaker for people who are able to distinguish between the different specific negative emotions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

In the present study, we study the effect of four specific emotions (i.e. happiness, relaxation, depression, and anxiety) on autonomous and controlled motivated behaviour. Drawing on the componential approach to emotions, we argue that because different emotions have a different action readiness-the readiness to engage with the environment -they also have a different impact on autonomous and controlled motivated behaviour. To test this hypothesis, we performed two studies. In the first one, 50 participants took part in an experience sampling study in which they reported their emotions (happiness, relaxation, depression, and anxiety) and autonomous and controlled motivated behaviour 10 times a day for 7 consecutive days. In the second study, 217 students participated in a lab experiment in which we studied the effect of induced anxiety, depression, happiness, and relaxation on autonomous motivated behaviour. The results showed how specific emotions predict autonomous motivated behaviour and that the relationship between the different emotions and autonomous motivated behaviour depends on the emotion under study. By doing so, we demonstrated the important role of emotions in the elicitation of autonomous motivated behaviour.