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Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities Scale (HEMA-R)

Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities Scale (HEMA-R) Test

Understand whether your actions are driven more by pleasure, comfort, or personal growth in about 3 minutes. This quick 11 item check-in supports coaching, counseling, and research by clarifying motivation and inner tension.

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Questions: 113 minutes

Hi! My name is Freudly, i am an AI therapist, I will give you an interpretation of the test after you complete it.

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

18,462 views

1,236 completions

1,012 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

15/21

Hedonic Comfort Motivation (HCM)

Measures the extent to which a person is motivated to choose activities for relaxation, rest, and maintaining comfort by avoiding tension.

Low comfort-seeking

Moderate comfort-seeking

High comfort-seeking

3 – 9: Low comfort-seeking | 10 – 15: Moderate comfort-seeking | 16 – 21: High comfort-seeking

A score of 15 indicates a moderate tendency to prioritize calm, restorative, and low-strain activities as a source of motivation.

example score

16/21

Hedonic Pleasure Motivation (HPM)

Measures the extent to which a person is motivated by seeking enjoyment, fun, and pleasurable experiences in activities.

Low pleasure-seeking

Moderate pleasure-seeking

High pleasure-seeking

3 – 9: Low pleasure-seeking | 10 – 15: Moderate pleasure-seeking | 16 – 21: High pleasure-seeking

A score of 16 indicates a high tendency to choose activities primarily for enjoyment and positive, pleasurable feelings.

example score

25/35

Eudaimonic Motivation (EM)

Measures the extent to which a person is motivated by meaning, authenticity, and personal growth in their activities.

Lower eudaimonic focus

Balanced eudaimonic focus

Strong eudaimonic focus

5 – 15: Lower eudaimonic focus | 16 – 25: Balanced eudaimonic focus | 26 – 35: Strong eudaimonic focus

A score of 25 suggests a balanced tendency to seek meaning and self-development in activities, without this motive being consistently dominant.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Self-improvement seekers

41%OF USERS

People exploring what really drives their choices to balance personal growth with enjoyment in daily life.

Coaching and therapy clients

34%OF USERS

Clients using the results with a professional to unpack tension between wanting comfort now and striving for meaningful change.

Psychology students and researchers

25%OF USERS

Learners and researchers who need a quick, structured measure of hedonic versus eudaimonic motivation for studies or training.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

Scale Results
— Explained Clearly

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Interpretation

You’ll receive a structured, clinically-grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation, without exaggerated language.

Statistical
Comparison

See how your results compare to others. Anonymized platform data is used to create a percentile scale, which identifies whether your results are typical.

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Recommendations

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Get insights on behavioral and thought patterns you might not notice on your own. By uncovering subtle connections between your responses, you’ll better understand what may be driving your current results.

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Used in 52+ countries

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Motivation of Hedonistic Comfort (MoHC)

Average

12.5

Normal range

9.7 — 15.2

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Motivation of Hedonistic Pleasure (MoHP)

Average

9.8

Normal range

6.5 — 13.1

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Eudaimonic Motivation (EM)

Average

18.8

Normal range

14.1 — 23.5

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this questionnaire measure?

It measures the motives that guide activities, including pleasure, comfort, and personal growth. Results reflect the relative strength of these motives.

How is the questionnaire structured?

It contains 11 items rated on a short response scale. Items cover eudaimonic motives and hedonic motives split into pleasure and comfort.

How long does it take to complete?

Typical completion time is about 3 minutes. Most respondents finish in a single sitting.

How should responses be selected?

Select the option that best matches the usual reason for doing activities in general. Use the full range of response options when appropriate.

How should results be interpreted?

Higher scores indicate stronger endorsement of the corresponding motive domain. Scores describe motivational tendencies and do not provide a clinical diagnosis.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Scale of Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities, HEMA-R Test

Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities Scale (HEMA-R) Test - Symptoms and Signs

motivation

This self-report measure is designed to assess motivational orientations underlying everyday activities. The Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities Scale (HEMA-R) asks respondents to rate the extent to which their activities are driven by pleasure/comfort seeking versus personal growth and meaning.

It contains 11 items and typically requires about 3 minutes to complete. Scores are used to characterize relative emphasis on hedonic motives (including enjoyment and comfort) and eudaimonic motives (e.g., growth, purpose), supporting clinical formulation or research on well-being-related motivation.

The Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities Scale (HEMA-R) is intended to complement, not replace, comprehensive assessment, and results should be interpreted in the context of the individual’s presenting concerns, setting, and other clinical or psychometric information.

Author: edward-l-deci, richard-m-ryan

Literature: Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. On happiness and human potentials: A review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual Review of Psychology. 2001.; Huta, V. Eudaimonic and hedonic orientations: Theoretical considerations and research findings. In J. Vittersø (Ed.), Handbook of eudaimonic well-being. Springer. 2016.

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