For most people, feeling happy
and finding life meaningful are both important and related goals. But do
happiness and meaning always go together? It seems unlikely, given that many of
the things that we regularly choose to do – from running marathons to raising
children – are unlikely to increase our day-to-day happiness. Recent research
suggests that while happiness and a sense of meaning often overlap, they also
diverge in important and surprising ways. In a study, 400 American adults to
fill out three surveys over a period of weeks. The surveys asked people to
answer a series of questions their happiness levels, the degree to which they
saw their lives as meaningful, and their general lifestyle and circumstances. As
one might expect, people’s happiness levels were positively correlated with
whether they saw their lives as meaningful. However, the two measures were not
identical – suggesting that what makes us happy may not always bring more
meaning, and vice versa. To probe for differences between the two, the
researchers examined the survey items that asked detailed questions about
people’s feelings and moods, their relationships with others, and their
day-to-day activities.
Feeling happy was strongly
correlated with seeing life as easy, pleasant, and free from difficult or
troubling events. Happiness was also correlated with being in good health and
generally feeling well most of the time. However, none of these things were
correlated with a greater sense of meaning. Feeling good most of the time might
help us feel happier, but it doesn’t necessarily bring a sense of purpose to
our lives. Interestingly, their findings suggest that money, contrary to
popular sayings, can indeed buy happiness. Having enough money to buy what one
needs in life, as well as what one desires, were also positively correlated
with greater levels of happiness. However, having enough money seemed to make
little difference in life’s sense of meaning. More broadly, the findings
suggest that pure happiness is about getting what we want in life—whether
through people, money, or life circumstances. Meaningfulness, in contrast,
seems to have more to do with giving, effort, and sacrifice. It is clear that a
highly meaningful life may not always include a great deal of day-to-day
happiness. And, the study suggests, our American obsession with happiness may
be intimately related to a feeling of emptiness, or a life that lacks meaning.
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