ArticleJournal of personality2026
Is Virtue Good for You?
Article in Journal of personality, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionDoes virtue benefit its possessor, or is it beneficial for others but not the self? We tested two highly influential theories that offer contradictory answers. In particular, we focused on three "hard cases" for the theory that virtue promotes well-being-that is, three virtues that aren't obviously enjoyable (compassion, patience, and self-control).
methodsTwo preregistered studies (total N = 43,164 observations; N = 1218 participants) tested for within- and between-person associations between each virtue and well-being. Study 1 used experience sampling with adolescents. Study 2 used the day reconstruction method with United States adults.
resultsStudy 1 found positive links across the board. Study 2 found positive within- and between-person links with eudaimonic well-being, but more complex associations with affective well-being. Study 2 also revealed that situations that afford opportunities to exercise these virtues are challenging and unpleasant. However, exercising compassion, patience, and self-control seems to help people cope with these challenges.
conclusionThese findings contradict the theory that virtue is good for others but not for the self, aligning with the theory that being good leads to being well. They also provide preliminary evidence about how virtues like compassion, patience, and self-control might benefit their possessors.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.