<\/em>the only creatures capable of questioning their own existence, so it\u2019s no wonder that the quest to find meaning and purpose is as old as time.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe can trace this existential question back to millennia ago. Around 2,000 years ago, Greek philosopher, Aristotle, said he believed that meaning in life was not merely achieving subjective feelings of happiness. No, he believed that only by cultivating individual development of our true nature, would we be able to reach our full potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we turn to other philosophers, such as Plato, his answer is the meaning of life can be found in the pursuit of knowledge. He even quotes his mentor and teacher, Socrates, who said, \u201cthe unexamined life is not worth living.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Epicurious, the ancient Greek philosopher whose ideas mainly surrounded materialism, believed that the meaning of life mattered because it meant achieving sustainable pleasure that will lead to a state of tranquility and freedom from fear, which he called, \u201cataraxia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aristotle, Plato, and Epicurious weren\u2019t the only ones to question the meaning of life and why it matters. Throughout history, it\u2019s been proven that humans hunger for meaning, for purpose, and for that fulfilling feeling that our lives are worth more than the sum of their parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thankfully, that hunger becomes resourcefulness. Nowadays, we have a number of ways of finding meaning, and a number of potential sources to provide it; you can find meaning in every event, scenario, occurrence, context, the absurd, perfection, the dull, the dreary, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question \u201cwhat <\/em>is the meaning of life\u201d often overshadows the equally important question, \u201cwhy does knowing the meaning of life matter?<\/em>\u201d How does it affect us?<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe can go the obvious way and detail the advantages of having a strong purpose and meaning in life. In a study that examined individuals who reported a higher meaning in life than others, they found that these individuals had–<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Increased, deeper connections with friends<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- More engagement in social and cultural activities<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Lower risk of living alone<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Lower risk of divorce<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Lower risk of chronic diseases<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Lower risk of onset of depression<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Lower risk of obesity<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Increased physical activity<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- And lastly, increased positive health behaviors, such as eating healthy, exercising, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Generally, people with a higher sense of meaning in life are characterized by health and well-being. A researcher, Laura King, looked into this, and said, \u201clives may be experienced as meaningful when they are felt to have a significance beyond the trivial or momentary, to have purpose, or to have a coherence that transcends chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we can break down King\u2019s point of view into three components, the first being purpose, which means having goals and direction in life. The next is life significance, which is how much value and worth a person believes their life has. Lastly, we have coherence, which is the sense that your life is characterized by routine and predictability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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