The DOI matches its Crossref record; 26 of the 27 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Some key differences between a happy life and a meaningful life
Open accessAbstract
Being happy and finding life meaningful overlap, but there are important differences. A large survey revealed multiple differing predictors of happiness (controlling for meaning) and meaningfulness (controlling for happiness). Satisfying one’s needs and wants increased happiness but was largely irrelevant to meaningfulness. Happiness was largely present-oriented, whereas meaningfulness involves integrating past, present, and future. For example, thinking about future and past was associated with high meaningfulness but low happiness. Happiness was linked to being a taker rather than a giver, whereas meaningfulness went with being a giver rather than a taker. Higher levels of worry, stress, and anxiety were linked to higher meaningfulness but lower happiness. Concerns with personal identity and expressing the self-contributed to meaning but not happiness. We offer brief composite sketches of the unhappy but meaningful life and of the happy but meaningless life.
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“The more people devote time to thinking about the past and future, the more meaning they attribute to their life in general (Baumeister, Vohs, Aaker, & Garbinsky, 2013).”
From The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework (2018) · cites this paper as Baumeister, Vohs, Aaker, & Garbinsky, 2013
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Self-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., Aaker, J. L., & Garbinsky, E. N.
- Affiliations
- Florida State University (US)
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Stanford University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Baumeister, Roy F.
- Venue
- The Journal of Positive Psychology
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2013-11
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 505-516
- ISSN
- 1743-9760 (ISSN-L)
- 1743-9779
- OpenAlex
- W1519128814
- Cited by
- 1,006
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 42 · 2025: 98 · 2024: 98 · 2023: 101 · 2022: 82 · 2021: 72 · 2020: 124 · 2019: 81 · 2018: 66 · 2017: 66 · 2016: 96 · 2015: 40 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 13
- FWCI
- 86.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Locations
- The Journal of Positive Psychology (publishedVersion)
- SSRN Electronic Journal (acceptedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Optimism, Hope, and Well-being
- Keywords
- happiness, meaningfulness, subjective well-being, predictors of happiness, need satisfaction, present orientation, stress, personal identity, self-expression
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