- Openness to experience did not directly predict subjective or psychological well-being among college students.
- Openness related to well-being indirectly via art-related aesthetic needs acting as an independent mediator.
- Sequential mediation via aesthetic perception then aesthetic needs links openness to well-being, emphasising aesthetic needs as the pivotal mechanism and recommending longitudinal confirmation.
Front Psychol. 2026 Jun 15;17:1834660. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1834660. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, this study investigated the impact of openness to experience on both subjective and psychological well-being among college students, with a specific focus on the mediating mechanisms of art-related aesthetic perception and needs.
METHODS: A sample of 558 college students (Mage = 18.40, SD = 1.38) completed standardized assessments. Mediation modeling was employed to test the direct and indirect pathways between personality traits and well-being.
RESULTS: Openness to experience did not directly predict either dimension of well-being. Instead, it showed indirect associations with well-being through two pathways. (1) The independent mediation of art-related aesthetic needs, and (2) a sequential mediation involving both art-related aesthetic perception and needs.
CONCLUSION: These findings clarify the psychological mechanisms by which aesthetic traits foster well-being, highlighting the critical role of art-related aesthetic needs in translating personality into positive adjustment. While providing cross-sectional evidence, future research should utilize longitudinal designs to confirm causal directions.
PMID:42376141 | PMC:PMC13311017 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1834660
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