Did researchers explain the meaning of life in 4 bullet points… 20 years ago?
July 21, 2023.
Am I kidding?… the meaning of life in 4 bullet points?
No, I’m not kidding.
Humans have been struggling with the meaning of life ever since God died. It’s part of our complicated grief as humans.
The wiseacres among you will quickly point out that the meaning of life is is whatever meaning we give to it.
So, a more interesting question to ask is what do humans declare that gives their lives meaning? That’s an operational question that’s inclined to scientific analysis….so that’s what they did!
4 Bullet points of meaning…
Baumeister and Vohs (2002) have synthesized four factors. When people are asked, the more they report each of these four factors being satisfied, the more meaningful they describe their lives as being meaningful.
Purpose – This could just about fu*king anything. But whatever it is, researchers report that a sense of meaning in life comes from reaching our goals, and experiencing that deep, attendant satisfaction. The issue for many becomes work/life balance, as achieving greatness and notoriety in American culture deeply encourages imbalance.
Values – Humans with a solid moral scaffold with a comfortable sense of right and wrong inhabit a universe teeming with meaning. These pro-social values may have many wellsprings; faith, family, friends, life experience, long, dark nights of the soul, etc.
Efficacy – Humans want to make a difference. They covet a sense of agency over their work and home life. Absent that sense of control, satisfaction, and a sense of meaning, may be impeded.
Self-worth – The ability to feel a sense of self-worth often is defined by our relationships to intimate others. While we all may want to feel that we’re lovable, we may not find ourselves being treated in a way that supports a “meaning” to remaining in the relationship.
So, There You Have It: the Meaning of Life…in 4 Incredibly Brief Bullet Points.
Final thoughts on the meaning of life… (LOL… does my pretentiousness know no bounds?)
I think it’s how these 4 bullet points manifest through our careers, personal goals, family, hobbies and other outlets to satisfy our deep, human need for meaning that comprises what we finally call “the meaning of our lives.”
I also wonder… what would Victor Frankl would make of this discussion?
Which brings me to another question…does a life require a sense of meaning to be a life-well lived?
Enough of the Researchers!
For some of these questions, I think I’ll need a Rabbi!
RESEARCH:
Baumeister, R. F., & Vohs, K. D. (2002). The pursuit of meaningfulness in life. In C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 608–618). Oxford University Press.
