Perceived Meaning In Life Research Articles

Meaningfulness is a luxury? How daily meaningful work activities and financial resources influence daily meaning and purpose in life

Experiences in the workplace undoubtedly affect people’s lives, yet we know little about the role that financial resources play in the relationship between meaningful work and meaning in life. Furthermore, we do not know if daily fluctuations of work meaningfulness correspond to daily perceptions of meaning in life. In a study of married couples employing a daily experience sampling approach, we explore the role of prosocial and personal growth job characteristics in daily meaningful work and, by extension, in producing daily perceptions of meaning in life. We also examine the effect of financial resources on the relationship between meaningful work and meaning in life. Results illustrate that daily work meaningfulness facilitates greater daily life meaning but that having low financial resources attenuates the relationship between daily meaningful work and daily meaning in life. A post-hoc analysis examining the moderating influence of gender on the daily relationship between meaningful work and meaning in life was significant, suggesting that men derive more meaning in life from their work.

Spontaneous self-affirmation predicts more meaning and less boredom

Chronic boredom is associated with many negative psychological outcomes, including undermining perceived meaning in life. Meanwhile, emerging research suggests that spontaneous self-affirmation, that is, an inclination to self-affirm, is linked to greater well-being and buffers against psychological threats. We investigated the relationship between spontaneous self-affirmation, perceptions of meaning in life, and boredom proneness with four correlational studies. Study 1a (N = 166) demonstrated that people inclined to self-affirm experience greater perceptions of meaning in life. Study 1b (N = 170) confirmed that spontaneous self-affirmation is associated with lower levels of boredom proneness. Study 2a (N = 214) and Study 2b (N = 105) provided evidence for our central hypothesis, showing that spontaneous self-affirmation predicts lower levels of boredom proneness via greater perceptions of meaning in life. These findings confirm that elevating meaning in life through psychological resources, like spontaneous self-affirmation, may limit boredom. Our work extends the emerging well-being benefits of spontaneous self-affirmation, by demonstrating associations with higher meaning in life and lower boredom proneness.

Temporal associations between meaning in life, ultimate meaning struggles, and mental health outcomes in a spiritually integrated inpatient program.

Meaning in life is a benchmark indicator of flourishing that can likely mitigate the severity of depression symptoms among persons seeking mental healthcare. However, patients contending with serious mental health difficulties often experience a painful void or absence of ultimate meaning in their lives that might hinder recovery. This two-wave longitudinal study examined temporal associations between perceived presence of meaning in life, struggles with ultimate meaning, flourishing, and depression symptoms among adults in a spiritually integrated inpatient treatment program. Of the 242 patients assessed at intake, 90% (N = 218; 40% Cisgender male; 57% Cisgender female; 3.0% nonbinary)completed validated measures of these meaning-related factors and mental health outcomes at discharge. Cross-sectional analyses revealed perceptions of meaning in life and ultimate meaning struggles were inversely linked with one another along with being associated with indices of positive and negative mental health in varying ways at the start and end of treatment. Drawing upon a two-wave cross-lagged panel design, longitudinal structural equation modeling analyses supported a Primary Meaning Model whereby having a subjective sense of meaning in life at intake was prospectively linked with lower levels of ultimate meaning struggles and greater flourishing at discharge. However, baseline levels of mental health outcomes were not predictive of the meaning-related factors in this sample. Findings highlight the utility of assessing patients'perceived meaning in life and ultimate meaning struggles in spiritually integrated programs and for clinicians to be prepared to possibly address these meaning-related concerns in the treatment process.

The role of Improv in enhancement of Meaning in Life in youth: An explanatory sequential design

Abstract“A global mental health crisis” was sparked by the pandemic, especially for the youth as it exposed them to serious existential crises related to grief, loss, death and dying, deep psychological insecurities, etc. Additionally, this crisis came as a call for greater meaning in the personal and professional lives of youth. To deal with these issues in youth, Improv intervention is being used as an effective contemporary psychological technique to improve holistic perspective‐taking. This pilot study investigated the efficacy of Improv intervention in enhancing Meaning in Life in youth using an explanatory sequential design. The sample comprised 80 youth (age range 18–25 years). The study was carried out in two phases—quantitative and qualitative. In the quantitative phase, a randomised control trial design was used to assess the efficacy of the intervention; this was followed by semistructured interviews to identify crucial themes that highlighted participants’ perceptions of Meaning in Life and the benefits of the intervention. Results revealed potential usefulness of Improv in Meaning enhancement.

Daily TV Use and Meaning in Life Among Older Adults: The Moderating Role of Selective and Compensatory TV Use

ABSTRACT Older adults (60+) spend a considerable amount of time watching TV. This can have important implications in terms of their daily sense of meaning in their life. Applying the selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) model, we argue that the impact of the daily amount of time spent watching TV on daily perceptions of meaning in life is moderated by whether TV is generally used in a compensatory or selective manner. We present data from an intensive longitudinal study with N = 101 healthy older (60+) adults. Data were collected over five consecutive days. Compensatory and selective TV use were treated as a general strategy and thus as a trait-like variable measured in a baseline survey. Results show that the effect of the amount of daily television use on daily perceptions of meaning in life depends on the extent to which TV is generally used in a compensatory fashion as indicated by a cross-level interaction between compensatory TV use (between-person level 2) and daily self-reported TV use (within-person level 1) on daily perceptions of meaning in life. We discuss these findings in terms of both theoretical and methodological considerations.

The Meaning in Life and Courage of Malaysian Frontliners During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted everyone’s routines, including frontline workers, causing psychological distress and lowering their quality of life. As a result, this research was conducted to determine the meaning of life and the courage of Malaysian COVID-19 frontliners. Using purposive and snowball sampling, twenty-one frontliners from Kuala Lumpur and Selangor were recruited for this interpretative phenomenology study. The findings indicate that Malaysian frontliners derive meaning from the human connection in their professional and personal lives, which instills a feeling of dedication as they contribute to social welfare, particularly during this critical period. In addition, they engage in spiritual activities and maintain a positive attitude to achieve life satisfaction, which is regarded as a component of their life’s meaning. Furthermore, frontline workers are courageous in fighting the pandemic because it is their obligation, and they have a strong family and coworkers’ support system. While frontliners must maintain their psychological well-being, they are subjected to work hazards daily, contributing to their impression of courage. The findings could provide an outreach program organized by the government through webinars. In that manner, it would allocate a sense of reassurance to the frontliners. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the perception of meaning in life and the courage of the Malaysian COVID-19 frontliners to rekindle their work spirit despite experiencing an overwhelming workload objectively.

MORAL IDENTITY, ALTRUISM AND MEANING IN LIFE IN TEACHER CANDIDATES

This study aims to identify relations among meaning of life, moral identity, and altruism levels of teacher candidates and whether they vary depending on some variables. Among the quantitative research methods, the relational screening model, a subtype of general screening model, was used in this study. The graduates and seniors studying in Izmir and Manisa provinces are the teacher candidates who participated in the study. The Meaning in Life Scale developed by Akın and Taş (2011) was used to measure perception of meaning in life, the Moral Identity Scale developed by Yılmaz and Yılmaz (2015) was used to measure moral identity, and the Altruism Scale developed by Ummet, Eksi and Otrar (2013) to measure the altruism levels of participants as data collection instruments. According to the results, the level of altruism of the female was found to be statistically and significantly higher than the male; however, there was no gender-based difference on the level of moral identity and the meaning of life. Furthermore, the meaning of life level of graduate teacher candidates was statistically and significantly higher than senior students; on the other hand, the altruism and moral identity levels of teacher candidates differed depending on their graduation status. Both statistical significance and positive correlation were found between teacher candidates' perception of meaning of life, moral identities and the altruism of level. Consequently, the moral identity and altruism levels of prospective teachers were found to be predictors of the meaning of life in a statistically significant manner.

Just-World Beliefs Increase Helping Intentions via Meaning and Affect

Our research examines the relationship between just-world beliefs and helping. Specifically, we pose that the belief in just world increases helping intentions via perceptions of meaning in life. Consistently, across two studies we found that higher levels of just-world beliefs corresponded with stronger helping intentions. In Study 1, individual differences in just-world beliefs correlated positively with helping intentions. In Study 2, experimentally induced higher (vs. lower) levels of just-world beliefs led to stronger intentions to help others. In both studies, we found that the presence of meaning in life mediated the effects of just-world beliefs on helping intentions, indicating that these prosocial effects of just-world beliefs are established through the impression that life is meaningful. We further found that positive affect plays a mediational role in these effects by linking the perceptions of meaning to helping intentions. This research provides insights into the socially desirable consequences of just-world beliefs by highlighting the crucial roles of existential appraisals and affective states.

Trait mindfulness and depressive symptoms in non-small cell lung cancer patients: the mediating roles of quality of life and meaning in life

Objective The present study examined the potential mediating influences of meaning in life and quality of life in the relationship of trait mindfulness and depressive symptoms in lung cancer patients. Design: We adopted a cross-sectional design studying a sample of patients with non-small cell lung cancer, aged 20–65 years, and receiving cancer treatments or follow-up care. Main Outcome Measures: The outcome measures included Beck Depression Inventory-II, European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and lung cancer specific complementary measure (EORTC QLQ-LC13), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, and the meaning in life questionnaire. Results: Among 116 lung cancer patients, 26.72% of them had clinically significant depressive symptoms. The presence of meaning, quality of life (QOL) functioning and symptom distress mediated the relationship of trait mindfulness and depressive symptoms. Multiple mediation analyses found that the presence of meaning in life was the main mediator. Conclusion: The reductions of depressive symptoms might be related to trait mindfulness enhancing lung cancer patients’ perceptions of meaning in life. A mindfulness program has the potential to improve depressive symptoms in people with lung cancer.

What Indicates Your Life is Meaningful? A New Measure for the Indicators of Meaning in Life (3IML)

A new scale for the measurement of indicators of meaning in life—3IML—was developed and suggested as part of this work. We adapted the perspective of Heintzelman and King (Am Psychol 69(6):561–574, 2014b), according to which indicators for the perception of meaning in life are (a) sense: the feeling that the world around us is coherent and makes sense; (b) spirit: positive affect and good mood; and (c) social relatedness: relationships and connection with others. All the indicators are based on previous empirical evidence. In four large-scale studies with 1087 participants overall, we tested and verified the 3IML as a reliable and structurally sound scale. In Study 1, we verified the factorial validity of the proposed scale using exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modeling. In Study 3, we tested the nomological network validity against an existing self-report scale of perceived meaning in life and some of its known consequences (increase in optimism, decrease in depression). In Study 4, we established incremental validity of the 3IML scale. Although defining or measuring meaning in life is not easy, the suggested approach to measuring indicators of meaning does not rely on participants' definitions of meaning in life. This approach offers a short, multidimensional measure that conceptualizes meaning in life as lying at the confluence of sense, spirit, and social relatedness.

The melody to inspiration: The effects of awe-eliciting music on approach motivation and positive well-being

ABSTRACT Rooted in the rich soil of positive psychology, scholarship on the uses and effects of self-transcendent media content that elicits other-oriented emotions has flourished in the past few years, covering a full range of media content such as movies, online videos, social media posts, and news stories. The current research aimed to gain a better understanding of the positive consequences of consuming self-transcendent media with a particular focus on music – a medium that is frequently identified as inspiring. Specifically, two studies were conducted to examine the degree to which self-transcendent music (manifested as awe-eliciting music) can boost listeners’ activated positive affect and prosociality relative both to the natural baseline condition (Study 1) and to amusing/hedonic condition (Study 2). Results show that while awe-eliciting music did not directly contribute to increases of well-being variables compared to amusing music, inspiration was a crucial mediator through which awe-eliciting music exerted influences on participants’ perceptions of meaning in life and universality. Results are reflected in the broader context of positive media psychology, and implications for music’s potential to inspire are discussed in detail.

Finding meaning in self-control: The effect of self-control on the perception of meaning in life

ABSTRACTThe present research explored whether self-control is associated with the perception of meaning in life. A week-long daily diary study (Study 1) showed trait self-control (but not daily experiences of self-control failure) to be positively associated with a general sense of meaning in life and daily experiences of meaning. This association was robust against controlling for life satisfaction, positive and negative affect. Study 2 tested two potential mechanisms underlying the association between trait self-control and meaning in life: Successful goal progress and experience of structure in life. While self-control was positively associated with both, only the experience of structure predicted meaning: Self-control was positively related to the perception of one’s life as having a clear sense of structure and order, which in turn predicted a stronger perception of meaning. Study 3 replicated the mediation path via the experience of structure and showed it to be stronger for individuals high (vs. low) in the personal need for structure. The present findings add to the emerging literature on trait (and state) self-control and dispositional determinants of meaning in life.

Contributors to Women's Perceived Stress at the Start of Assisted Reproductive Technology

Clinicians are often called upon to treat the stress that accompanies Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). In this study, we sought to examine the contribution of the internal resources of meaning in life and attachment style and the interpersonal resource of self-disclosure to her mother to a woman's level of perceived stress upon commencement of ART. In addition, we examined the association between age and perceived stress. The sample consisted of 180 Israeli women (106 aged 20–34; 74 aged 35–44) who completed a series of self-report questionnaires after their initial meeting with a fertility specialist. Regression analysis indicated that older age, lower attachment anxiety, higher perception of meaning in life, and greater self-disclosure to the mother were related to lower levels of perceived stress. Self-disclosure was also found to mediate the association between avoidant attachment and stress. The study highlights the importance of a woman’s personal and interpersonal resources for reducing the experience of stress in the early stages of ART. The results have practical implications for the development of professional interventions seeking to enhance these resources among women embarking on fertility treatment.

Personal Aspirations, Person-Environment Fit, Meaning in Work, and Meaning in Life: A Moderated Mediation Model

In the current study, we examined whether the link between perceived person-environment (PE) fit and meaning in work would vary to the extent individuals placed importance on intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations. Among 655 Chinese employees, we found that the more individuals valued intrinsic aspirations, the stronger the association was between PE fit and meaning in work. The importance individuals placed on extrinsic aspirations, however, had a negative partial correlation with meaning in work. In addition, variations in meaning in work further predicted perceptions of meaning in life. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

The impact of mortality awareness on meaning in life among Christians and atheists

ABSTRACTResearch derived from terror management theory suggests that reliance on a terror-managing set of beliefs when reminded of death can influence one’s perception of meaning in life. The present research builds on prior work suggesting that religious concepts help to manage the awareness of death, and expands on that work to explore the challenges of religious and atheistic terror management. It was hypothesized that religious participants would be able to sustain perceived meaning in life when reminded of death, but that atheists would be vulnerable to a reduction in meaning when reminded of death. To test that idea, Christians and atheists were first reminded of either mortality or a control topic, and then asked to rate how strongly they felt life was meaningful. Results indicated that ratings of meaning in life were lower in the mortality salience condition, relative to the control condition, among the atheists but not among the Christians. Implications regarding religious and non-religious terror management strategies are discussed.

Social Support as a Mediator of Posttraumatic Embitterment and Perceptions of Meaning in Life among Danwon Survivors of the Sewol Ferry Disaster.

PurposeOur research was designed to test and explore the relationships among embitterment, social support, and perceptions of meaning in life in the Danwon High School survivors of the Sewol ferry disaster.Materials and MethodsSeventy-five Sewol ferry disaster survivors were eligible for participation, and were invited to participate in the study 28 months after the disaster. Forty-eight (64%) survivors (24 males, 24 females) completed questionnaires; the Posttraumatic Embitterment Disorder (PTED) scale, the Functional Social Support Questionnaire (FSSQ), and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ).ResultsPTED scores were negatively correlated with scores on the FSSQ and the Presence of Meaning (MLQ-P) (r=-0.43 and -0.40, respectively). The hierarchical regression analysis showed that FSSQ scores may fully mediate the effects of PTED scores on MLQ-P scores, given that the indirect effect was significant whereas the direct effect was not (95% confidence interval=-0.5912 to -0.0365).ConclusionThese findings imply that therapies targeting embitterment may play a vital role in increasing positive cognitions, such as those related to perceived social support and the meaningfulness of life.

The existential cost of economic insecurity: Threatened financial security undercuts meaning

ABSTRACTFinancial security (i.e., a person’s sense that they can afford the things they need now and in the foreseeable future) contributes to psychological health and well-being. In the present research, we explored the implications of financial security for perceptions of meaning in life. In Study 1, we found that perceptions of financial insecurity predicted perceptions of meaning in life above and beyond income. Further, income only predicted perceptions of meaning to the extent that it was associated with reduced financial insecurity. In Studies 2 and 3, we found that financial security threats undermined perceptions of meaning in life. Taken together, these studies suggest that maintaining financial security is important for a sense of meaning in life.

I am not an animal but I am a sexist: Human distinctiveness, sexist attitudes towards women, and perceptions of meaning in life

Existential concerns relating to human physicality influence cultural worldviews and norms regarding women. When people are striving to bolster perceptions of meaning, they respond negatively to the aspects of the female body that serve as reminders that humans are animals. In the present research, we sought to further explore whether attitudes about human animality relate to attitudes about women. Specifically, we examined the association between beliefs about human–animal continuity and sexist attitudes. Since women serve as potent reminders that humans are biological creatures, we predicted that greater desire to perceive humans as distinct from other animals would be associated with higher levels of hostile and benevolent sexism among male participants. Results supported this hypothesis. We also tested and found support for the assumption that the belief that humans are distinct from and superior to other animals is associated with greater perceptions of meaning in life.

Prosocial behavior increases perceptions of meaning in life

Finding meaning in life is a fundamental personal need, and motivating prosocial behavior is a fundamental societal need. The present research tests whether the two are connected – whether helping other people can increase helpers’ perceptions of meaning in life. Evidence from a nationally representative data-set and two experiments support this hypothesis. Participants who engaged in prosocial behaviors – volunteering and spending money to benefit others – reported experiencing greater meaning in their lives (Studies 1–3). Study 3 also identifies increased self-worth as the mechanism – participants who spent money to benefit other people felt higher personal worth and self-esteem, and this mediated the effect of prosocial behavior on meaningfulness. The present results join other findings in suggesting that the incentives for helping others do not necessarily depend on the prospect of others’ reciprocity. Prosocial behavior can be incentivized through the psychological benefits it creates for prosocial actors.

When being far away is good: Exploring how mortality salience, regulatory mode, and goal progress affect judgments of meaning in life

AbstractResearch indicates that death‐relevant thoughts (mortality salience) have a nuanced effect on judgments of life's meaningfulness. Thoughts of death diminish meaning in life only among people who lack or do not readily engage psychological structures that confer meaning. Building on this past research, the current research examined how an important source of meaning, long‐term goal progress, affects the ways that death‐relevant cognitions impact judgments of life's meaning. In Study 1 (N = 118), mortality salience decreased perceptions of meaning in life only among participants who were induced to feel closer to (vs. farther from) completing a long‐term goal. Study 2 (N = 259) extended these findings by demonstrating the moderating influence of individual differences in locomotion. Mortality salience again decreased perceptions of meaning in life among participants who felt closer to accomplishing a long‐term goal, but it only did so among people who do not quickly adopt new goals to pursue (i.e., those low in locomotion). The implications of these findings for better understanding how people maintain meaning in the face of existential concerns and how aspects of goal pursuit affect these processes are discussed.