The Good Life of the Powerful

Abstract

A common cliché and system-justifying stereotype is that power leads to misery and self-alienation. Drawing on the power and authenticity literatures, however, we predicted the opposite relationship. Because power increases the correspondence between internal states and behavior, we hypothesized that power enhances subjective well-being (SWB) by leading people to feel more authentic. Across four surveys representing markedly different primary social roles (general, work, romantic-relationship, and friendship surveys; Study 1), and in an experiment (Study 2a), we found consistent evidence that experiencing power leads to greater SWB. Moreover, authenticity mediated this effect. Further establishing the causal importance of authenticity, a final experiment (Study 2b), in which authenticity was manipulated, demonstrated that greater authenticity directly increased SWB. Although striving for power lowers well-being, these results demonstrate the pervasive positive psychological effects of having power, and indicate the importance of spreading power to enhance collective well-being.

Why Power does not Guarantee Happiness across Cultures

“…The results showed that both power and authenticity negatively predicted well-being (see Table 2). These results imply that increases in the levels of power and authenticity may be linked to lower well-being which contradicts findings of Kifer et al (2013) on the hypothesized benefits of power on optimal psychological outcomes. Furthermore, the findings revealed that authenticity mediated the relations between power and subjective well-being since the negative but significant predictive impact of power on well-being (Β = -.11, p < .05) was no longer significant (Β = -.09, p = .18) after controlling the effects of authenticity.…”

“…As power was associated with success (Anderson et al, 2012), previous empirical studies have explored the beneficial consequences of power on the psychological functioning of individuals. Power positively predicted emotional well-being (Adler, Epel, Castellazzo, & Ickovics, 2000), selfesteem (Adler et al, 2000), and life satisfaction (Kifer et al, 2013). These evidences clearly suggest that power may potentially enhance well-being.…”

“…As the focal argument of my paper revolves around justifying why there is no guarantee that power will lead to well-being in individualist and collectivist settings, this section exclusively discussed the psychological effects of power on happiness in the Western context. Kifer et al (2013) combined cross-sectional and experimental studies to explain why power may lead to subjective well-being. Consistent with previous theories on the benefits of congruence between internal states and behaviors, they proposed that power leads to greater authenticity and happiness.…”

“…To a large extent, this is due to the belief that power serves as an essential force not only in social relationships but also in society (Fiske, 1993). Past literature defined power as the inclination to control resources in various relational spheres (Anderson, John, & Keltner, 2012;Kifer, Heller, Perunovic, & Galinsky, 2013). As power was associated with success (Anderson et al, 2012), previous empirical studies have explored the beneficial consequences of power on the psychological functioning of individuals.…”

“…However, most of the studies to investigate power and well-being outcomes (e.g. Adler et al, 2000;Kifer et al, 2013) were executed in the Western context which places greater premium on personal achievement and independence. In other words, the advantageous impact of power on well-being cannot be generalized across cultures, especially in contexts that promote interdependence (Markus & Kitayama, 1991;Uchida & Ogihara, 2012).…”