Abstract

This research aimed to analyze the association between irrational beliefs (IB) of Demandingness, Frustration intolerance, and Approval, with life satisfaction (LS) and their moderating effect on the associations between sociodemographic variables and LS. A non -experimental cross-sectional analytical design was used. Participants were 483 Mexican adults (M-age = 37.2, SD = 15.06) who completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Attitudes and Beliefs Scale online. It was found that IB were associated with LS (beta(Demands) = .14, p < .001; beta(Frustration) (intolerance) = -.38, p < .001); and the association between socioeconomic status and LS was moderated by Demandingness (F[4,478] = 27.49, p < .001) and Frustration intolerance IB (F[3,479] = 31.81, p < .001). The results indicate that IB influence the cognitive process of LS, affecting both positively and negatively the association between sociodemographic variables and LS. Specifically, the IB of Demandingness negatively affected LS only through the IB of Frustration intolerance, suggesting that the IB of Demandingness provides an element of perseverance and gratification in the process of achieving goals, which is only detrimental if the person also scores high on secondary IB such as Frustration intolerance. This positive effect implies a contradiction to the Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) theory, which states that all IB are negatively associated with well-being.