Researchers who study meaning in life have broken the concept into three facets: coherence (the feeling that life makes sense), purpose (having and working toward goals), and mattering (the sense that one\u2019s life has value and makes a difference). University of Sussex psychologist Vlad Costin argues the last factor, mattering, may be the most crucial. In three experiments, participants\u2019 sense of mattering most reliably predicted whether they saw life as meaningful one month later. Though it wasn\u2019t known why participants felt their lives mattered, Costin thinks that it could have resulted from their \u201cbelieving in God, contributing to others, or leaving some form of legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Golden Age<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Confidence in life\u2019s meaningfulness may be greatest around age 60, on average, a recent study suggests. Using data from 1,042 U.S. adults, University of California, San Diego, researchers found that the presence of meaning in life followed a curve over the lifespan, reaching its peak at approximately 60 before declining again. The search for meaning, on the other hand, followed the opposite trajectory, reaching a low point at 60 before climbing. Regardless of age, physical and mental well-being were both strongly correlated with a belief in life\u2019s meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everything in Its Place<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Many seek meaning through extraordinary experiences\u2014but they may also find it in ordinary, daily acts. New research found that a preference for routines was correlated with a greater sense of meaning. Students tracked for a week reported somewhat greater meaning, on average, when engaging in everyday acts such as studying or commuting\u2014perhaps, the authors note, because routines build a coherent sense of self. Study co-author and Rutgers University psychologist Samantha Heintzelman observes: \u201cMoments that make sense and feel right can make life meaningful, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Originally published at Psychology Today<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Devon Frye A sense that life has meaning doesn\u2019t just offer philosophical benefit; it\u2019s also tied to improved physical and mental health. What factors, apart from close relationships and personal accomplishments, foster a belief…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10],"tags":[909,910],"class_list":["post-3197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-life","tag-life-meaningful"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/towncryyers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/getty_469956475_127917-1-1024x576.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1\")