The Life Worth Living: The Psychology of a Meaningful Life

What you have experienced, no power on earth can take away from you.

Viktor E. Frankl

Meaning in Life: Coherence, Purpose, and Significance

What gives your life meaning? For many individuals, the answer tends to revolve around family, work, or a cherished activity. No two individuals will respond to this question in the same way. What we perceive as meaningful is a personal reflection of our deepest desires, longings, and wishes for a fulfilling life. There are, however, certain qualities and conditions that give rise to meaningfulness in one’s life. Psychologists have attempted to present some ways to help us think about life’s greatest question: “What is the meaning of (my) life?”

Meaning in life has been defined by psychologists as, “the sense of, and significance felt regarding, the nature of one’s being and existence” [1]. This Meaning in Life model proposes that meaningfulness in one’s life comprises three elements. First, a sense of coherence – where one understands the connections between one’s life events. Simply put, you would perceive your life as more meaningful if you could piece together the events in your life and see them as logically linked to one another. It might help to think of your life as an unwritten, incomplete story. How do the chapters connect? What was it in the previous chapter that led to your experiences today? And how would you expect the story to continue? Second, a meaningful life also comes with it a sense of purpose – a motivational drive that offers a sense of clarity on your future goals. When you look to the future, what do you hope to accomplish? How will you get there? Finally, a meaningful life also comprises a sense of significance – a feeling that arises when we see our existence as worthwhile [2]. Here, it might help to think of something (or perhaps someone) you live for. Considerable research shows that living a meaningful life leads to longevity; having a reason to live adds to your years [3]. Having meaning in life also protects against poor health outcomes, with studies showing that it reduces the risks of cardiovascular illnesses [4]. When we have valued reasons for living, we act in ways that protect and enhance our health.

Meaning in Life: Valued Experiences

Researchers have also examined how a meaningful life is understood in other cultures and languages. There is arguably no more popular conception of meaning outside of English than the Japanese concept of ikigai. Countless books have been written, and many continue to be written about ikigai and how to cultivate it. The most famous of these is García & Miralles’ “Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life [5].” These books have offered a diverse range of definitions of the term – “the happiness of being busy,” and popularly, “the reason you get out of bed every morning [6].”

Recently, however, scholars have debated these definitions, suggesting that perhaps ikigai is something simpler. In a series of interviews making creative use of photographs, researchers find that the experience of having ikigai revolves around having and sharing valued experiences. When researchers asked university students to select photos on their phones that reflected meaningful experiences and later interviewed them about those photos, the students mentioned that a life worth living is, rather simply, one that comprises a range of valued experiences [7].

You may be wondering at this point – is there all there is to a meaningful life? After all, this study sampled university-aged students. You might instead argue that to have a meaningful life, we need to reach the lofty heights of ambition and achievement, create a legacy that transcends our existence, or to be able to impart wisdom to those who come after, ensuring that part of us continues to exist beyond this life. This is one way in which ikigai differs from Western conceptions of meaning, which often describe a meaningful life as one that allows us to contribute beyond our lives [8]. And yet, Japanese scholars who have reflected on the concept of ikigai propose that perhaps it is sufficient to perceive one’s life as meaningful from having a collection of cherished experiences. Long before psychological research cast its lens on meaning in life or ikigai, psychiatrist Meiko Kamiya, who wrote the first book on ikigai, mentions that ikigai is “more practical, rather than philosophical, but at times can also be perceived as irrational” [9].

Central to perceiving one’s life as meaningful then, is seeing one’s life as comprises a range of experiences worth having. Interestingly, these need not be emotionally pleasant experiences, as Kamiya suggests. The interviewed students mentioned how engaging in challenging experiences – travelling and studying abroad, for example, gave their lives meaning. These valued experiences, what the researchers call ‘keiken,’ are enhanced when individuals have authentic relationships with others [10], and when they see their life experiences are meaningfully connected with their past, and their futures, conferring a sense of life directionality [11]. The concept of ikigai proposes that a meaningful life – the life worth living, is one where you have a richly diverse range of valued experiences that you can share with others, and when these valued experiences connect your past, present, and future.

Using Photos to Reflect on Valued Life Experiences

There is, fortunately, no need to choose between either of these conceptions of meaning in life. You can assemble your personal ‘portfolio’ of meaningful life experiences. Researchers have used what is known as the ‘photo-elicitation technique’ to help individuals see the connections between their cherished life experiences and how these can lead to a greater sense of meaning [12]. Photographs offer a glimpse into the tapestry of a person’s valued experinces, offering insights into how individuals can incorporate more of such experiences in their lives [13].

You can try this now. Go through your photo album (or photos on your phone album app) and pick out five to ten photos depicting valued experiences in your life. You can then reflect on your chosen photos, contemplating answers to guiding questions. How is this event connected to who I am today? What is it about this picture that makes me excited for the future? How has the experience gained from this incident given me a sense that life is worthwhile? If the valued experiences theory of ikigai resonates with you more, you might ask yourself the following reflection questions from your chosen photos: Why does this photo reflect a valued experience in my life? Are there people in this picture with me? Who are they and why did I take a photo with them? “How does this valued experience connect who I am with my past, and the person I wish to be?”

Your experience of a meaningful life, just like your photos, is yours to call your own. Significance, purpose, and meaning revolve around personally-valued experiences. Even if your sense of meaning is derived from something perceived as ‘mundane,’ or unimportant in the grander scheme of things, it is sufficient to know that the meaning is one you’ve created – and value personally. Both Frankl and Kamiya would agree, that meaning is ultimately the value we create for ourselves from our unique life experiences.

References:

[1] Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The meaning in life questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(1), 80-93. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.53.1.80

[2] Martela, F., & Steger, M. F. (2016). The three meanings of meaning in life: Distinguishing coherence, purpose, and significance. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 11(5), 531-545. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2015.1137623

[3] Shiba, K., Kubzansky, L. D., Williams, D. R., VanderWeele, T. J., & Kim, E. S. (2022). Purpose in life and 8-year mortality by gender and race/ethnicity among older adults in the US. Preventive Medicine, 164, 107310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107310

[4] Cohen, R., Bavishi, C., & Rozanski, A. (2016). Purpose in life and its relationship to all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events: A meta-analysis. Psychosomatic Medicine, 78(2), 122-133. https://www.doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000000274

[5] García, H., & Miralles, F. (2016). Ikigai. Bookline.

[6] Tamashiro, T. (2019). How to Ikigai: Lessons for finding happiness and living your life’s purpose. Mango Publishing.

[7] Kono, S., & Walker, G. J. (2019). Theorizing ikigai or life worth living among Japanese university students: A mixed-methods approach. Journal of Happiness Studies, 21(1), 327-355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-019-00086-x

[8] Martela, F. (2017). Meaningfulness as contribution. The Southern Journal of Philosophy, 55(2), 232-256. https://doi-org.proxy.library.upenn.edu/10.1111/sjp.12217

[9] Kamiya, M. (1966). Ikigai (In Japanese). Misuzu Shobo.

[10] Kono, S., & Walker, G. (2020). Theorizing the interpersonal aspect of ikigai (‘life worth living’) among Japanese university students: A mixed-methods approach. International Journal of Wellbeing, 10(2), 101-123. https://doi:10.5502/ijw.v10i2.979

[11] Kono, S., Walker, G.J. (2021). Theorizing the Temporal Aspect of Ikigai or Life Worth Living among Japanese University Students: A Mixed-Methods Approach. Applied Research Quality Life, 16, 845–873. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-019-09792-3

[12] Steger, M. F., Shim, Y., Rush, B. R., Brueske, L. A., Shin, J. Y., & Merriman, L. A. (2013). The mind’s eye: A photographic method for understanding meaning in people’s lives. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 8(6), 530-542. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2013.830760

[13] Bates, E. A., McCann, J. J., Kaye, L. K., & Taylor, J. C. (2017). “Beyond words”: A researcher’s guide to using photo elicitation in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 14(4), 459-481. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2017.1359352

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