Core self-evaluations are associated with judgments of satisfaction with life via positive but not negative affect

Core self-evaluations (CSE) are associated with a range of indicators of positive personal and job outcomes. Current research suggests that CSE may be a precursor of judgment of life satisfaction but little is known about the factors that mediate the relationship. Affect is a potential mediator of the relationship and so we investigated whether positive and negative affect mediated the relationship between CSE and life satisfaction in two independent Spanish samples. Three hundred and fifty-two university students (Sample 1) and 520 adults (Sample 2) completed self-report measures of core self-evaluation, positive and negative affect and life satisfaction. In both samples, the association between CSE and life satisfaction was mediated by positive, but not negative affect. If replicated in longitudinal research, these results would provide evidence that CSE is associated with greater positive affect, which might influence life satisfaction judgments. These findings also highlight the importance of CSE and affect components that could take into consideration in positive psychology interventions aimed at increasing well-being.