Effort and Hedonic Capital as Coping Strategies for Well-Being in Wartime

This study investigates the role of hedonic capital as a mediator in the longitudinal relationship between personal effort and subjective well-being (SWB) during protracted wartime adversity, addressing gaps in literature on the effort paradox. Using a three-wave panel dataset from 826 Israeli participants tracked before (November 2021) and during the Israel-Hamas war (November 2023 and December 2024), we examine efforts in six life domains (work, leisure, friendships, community, health, work-life balance), hedonic capital proxies aligned with these domains, SWB components (positive/negative emotions; life evaluation, meaning in life; plus future expectations), and war-specific distress (anxiety, fear). Structural equation modelling, controlled for socio-demographics and war impacts, reveals that efforts invested early in the war positively predict SWB when facing continuous psychological adversity, with significant mediation by hedonic capital. Descriptive analyses show initial SWB declines with partial recovery over 14 months, probing assumptions about the long-term stability of SWB’s cognitive components. Findings extend resource-based theories by demonstrating hedonic capital’s buffering role in chronic shocks, offering implications for resilience-building interventions emphasizing effort investments in meaningful activities during conflict.