The search for life's meaning has produced much philosophical, scientific, theological, and metaphysical speculation throughout history. Different people and cultures believe different things for the answer to this question.

I don't believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.
Joseph Campbell

The meaning of life as we perceive it is derived from philosophical and religious contemplation of, and scientific inquiries about existence, social ties, consciousness, and happiness. Many other issues are also involved, such as symbolic meaning, ontology, value, purpose, ethics, good and evil, free will, the existence of one or multiple gods, conceptions of God, the soul, and the afterlife.

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Scientific contributions focus primarily on describing related empirical facts about the universe, exploring the context and parameters concerning the "how" of life. Science also studies and can provide recommendations for the pursuit of well-being and a related conception of morality. An alternative, humanistic approach poses the question, "What is the meaning of my life?"

Nature of meaning in life

The most common definitions of meaning in life involve three components. First, Reker and Wong define personal meaning as the "cognizance of order, coherence and purpose in one's existence, the pursuit and attainment of worthwhile goals, and an accompanying sense of fulfillment" (p. 221).[1]

Each man must look to himself to teach him the meaning of life. It is not something discovered: it is something molded.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

In 2016 Martela and Steger defined meaning as coherence, purpose, and significance.[2] In contrast, Wong has proposed a four-component solution to the question of meaning in life,[3][4] with the four components purpose, understanding, responsibility, and enjoyment (PURE):

  1. You need to choose a worthy purpose or a significant life goal.
  2. You need to have sufficient understanding of who you are, what life demands of you, and how you can play a significant role in life.
  3. You and you alone are responsible for deciding what kind of life you want to live, and what constitutes a significant and worthwhile life goal.
  4. You will enjoy a deep sense of significance and satisfaction only when you have exercised your responsibility for self-determination and actively pursue a worthy life-goal.

Thus, a sense of significance permeates every dimension of meaning, rather than stands as a separate factor.

Although most psychology researchers consider meaning in life as a subjective feeling or judgment, most philosophers propose that there are also objective, concrete criteria for what constitutes meaning in life. Wong has proposed that whether life is meaningful depends not only on subjective feelings but, more importantly, on whether a person's goal-striving and life as a whole is meaningful according to some objective normative standard.[4:1]

  1. Reker, G.T., & Wong, P.T.P. (1988). Aging as an individual process: Towards a theory of personal meaning. In J.E. Birren, & V.L. Bengston (Eds.), Emergent theories of aging (pp. 214-246). New York: Springer. ↩︎

  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. ↩︎

  3. Wong, P.T.P. (2011). Towards a balanced interactive model of the good life. Canadian Psychology, 52(2), 69-81. ↩︎

  4. Wong, P.T.P. (2012). From logotherapy to meaning-centered counseling and therapy. In P.T.P. Wong (Ed.), The human quest for meaning: Theories, research, and applications (2nd ed., pp. 619-647). ↩︎ ↩︎