Meaning in Life as a Subjective Judgment and a Lived Experience

Abstract Meaning in life has long been recognized as a central dilemma of human life. Inthis article, we review some of the challenges of studying meaning in life fromthe perspective of social psychology. We draw on the diary of Etty Hillesum, ayoung woman who was killed in Auschwitz, to argue for the relevance of currentempirical approaches to meaning in life. We review evidence suggesting thatmeaning in life is an important variable in the psychology of human functioningwhile also acknowledging that there is no consensus definition for the construct.Drawing on Hillesum’s diary and our research, we argue for the importance ofconsidering meaning in life as the outcome of a subjective judgment process. Wethen review research showing the strong relationship between positive mood andmeaning in life and suggest that such a relationship is born out in the phenom-enology of meaning in life.... mysteries don’t lose their poetry because they are solved. Quite the contrary.The solution often turns out more beautiful than the puzzle, and anyway thesolution uncovers deeper mystery. Richard Dawkins

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