Belief in a just world and well-being: A daily diary perspective

A large body of research has examined the relationship between belief in a just world (BJW) and well-being. However, this research, and work on BJW more broadly, has predominantly employed experimental and cross-sectional methods, which may not adequately capture how BJW functions in daily life. To help address this, we considered how two forms of BJW—believing the world is just for the self (personal-BJW) and just for others (general-BJW)—relate to various aspects of well-being between persons in a cross-sectional study ( N = 512) and, critically, within persons in a 2-week naturalistic daily diary study ( N = 132; 1439 daily reports). Results revealed that both personal- and general-BJW varied between- and within-individuals. Moreover, personal-BJW was not only more robustly related to greater well-being than general-BJW at the between-person level, consistent with prior work, but also at the within-person level. Overall, our diary findings suggest that BJW fluctuates in daily life and that these fluctuations covary positively with well-being. • Assessed two forms of belief in a just world (BJW): personal-BJW and general-BJW • Examined how both forms of BJW were related to well-being. • Utilized between-person (cross-sectional) and within-person (daily diary) approaches • Personal-BJW was a more robust positive predictor of well-being than general-BJW.