Citation :

Binod Kalita, Aradhana Borthakur, "Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives in Media Consumption: A Literature Review," International Journal of Communication and Media Science, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 1-9, 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/2349641X/IJCMS-V13I2P101

Abstract

Media consumption has been a part of people’s lives, and it is evident that people not only consume media entertainment for amusement and pleasure – the motive behind which is ‘hedonic’ – but also, they consume media content seeking to fulfil their general needs and contemplate life’s meaning, purpose, and truths – the underlying motive for which is ‘eudaimonic’. Indeed, people voluntarily consume tragic (sad), heartbreaking, or complex emotional content. This clearly suggests the importance of both hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment motives in media consumption. Therefore, this study aims to uncover the complementary yet distinct relationship between the hedonic and eudaimonic dimensions in media consumption. Hence, a literature review using the PRISMA framework is conducted to examine how hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment motives relate to media content consumption. The findings are synthesised and discussed into five interconnected themes to show the dynamics of both hedonic and eudaimonic motives in media consumption, and it is found that both are essential for understanding media consumption. Findings reveal that although these motives are distinct and can be separated analytically, they frequently coexist and serve as complementary drivers of media consumption, yielding enjoyment and prompting people to choose different content types based on their preferences, psychological pathways, and well-being outcomes. The same content affects different people in different ways depending on individual differences and situational context. Most importantly, without hedonic, there can’t be pure eudaimonia. This study has also presented implications for future research directions in the entertainment and media industry and for academic practitioners.

Keywords

Enjoyment, Entertainment, Eudaimonic, Hedonic, Media Consumption.

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