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Cited by 705Psychological Well-being and Life SatisfactionDeath Anxiety and Social ExclusionSocial and Intergroup Psychology

To Belong Is to Matter: Sense of Belonging Enhances Meaning in Life

Lambert, Nathaniel M., Stillman, Tyler F., Hicks, Joshua A., Kamble, Shanmukh, Baumeister, Roy F., Fincham, Frank D.·2013·Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
DOI 10.1177/0146167213499186
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Abstract

In four methodologically diverse studies ( N = 644), we found correlational (Study 1), longitudinal (Study 2), and experimental (Studies 3 and 4) evidence that a sense of belonging predicts how meaningful life is perceived to be. In Study 1 ( n = 126), we found a strong positive correlation between sense of belonging and meaningfulness. In Study 2 ( n = 248), we found that initial levels of sense of belonging predicted perceived meaningfulness of life, obtained 3 weeks later. Furthermore, initial sense of belonging predicted independent evaluations of participants essays on meaning in life. In Studies 3 ( n = 105) and 4 ( n = 165), we primed participants with belongingness, social support, or social value and found that those primed with belongingness (Study 3) or who increased in belongingness (Study 4) reported the highest levels of perceived meaning. In Study 4, belonging mediated the relationship between experimental condition and meaning.

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  • Social connectedness gives people a sense that life is meaningful.

    “To begin, social connectedness gives people a sense that life is meaningful [33].”

    From Nostalgia: An impactful social emotion (2023) · cites this paper as [33]

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Authors
Lambert, N. M., Stillman, T. F., Hicks, J. A., Kamble, S., Baumeister, R. F., & Fincham, F. D.
Affiliations
  • Brigham Young University (US)
  • Southern Utah University (US)
  • Texas A&M University (US)
  • Karnatak University (IN)
  • Florida State University (US)
ORCID
Venue
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2013-08-15
Volume
39
Issue
11
Pages
1418-1427
ISSN
  • 0146-1672 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-7433
DOI
10.1177/0146167213499186
OpenAlex
W2121259211
Cited by
705
References
16
Citations by year
2026: 66 · 2025: 102 · 2024: 64 · 2023: 86 · 2022: 69 · 2021: 64 · 2020: 73 · 2019: 45 · 2018: 37 · 2017: 42 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 2
FWCI
27.52
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
Keywords
sense of belonging, meaning in life, perceived meaningfulness, social support, social values, priming, mediation, subjective well-being
MeSH terms
Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Self Concept, Social Perception, Life

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