Abstract
Inequality and collective struggles against it are psychologically taxing. Yet to be successful, social movements must persist through sustained action despite their toll on the participants, and many do. While the negative affective determinants of collective action, particularly outrage, are extensively studied, less is known about the accompanying positive psychological states. Using cross-sectional and experience-sampling methodologies, we find that engaging (and intending to engage) in collective action is marked by heightened subjective well-being and a range of positive feelings. Nonetheless, the positive consequences of engagement (but not mere intention) may only emerge when action is coupled with experiences of discrimination targeting outgroups (but not the self, personally, or ingroups) or in the absence of discrimination. This suggests that some psychological distance from discrimination supports the psychological benefits of collective action in grappling with inequality. Overall, this work can provide insight into a psychological mechanism contributing to sustained mobilization.