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"I want my life to have meaning. ""I want to make a difference in this world." "I want to find my purpose. " For as long as I can remember, I've been looking to find the answers to these statements. What about you, ?
The great marketplace of ideas is only too ready to answer these questions – all you need to do is listen to some new podcast or try a new meditation technique.
As a coach, I was intrigued to know if there's any scientific definition for these aspirations that one might put into the bucket of self-actualisation at the top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. What does science say about purpose, meaning and impact? And can we measure them? A short discourse into human flourishing – why it matters?
Human flourishing is a state in which all aspects of a person's life are good.
Yet, when we look at different well-being surveys online, they don't capture the full spectrum of flourishing. A person may say they're satisfied with life because their career is going well, but when you dig deeper, you find they have no boundaries or work-life balance. Would you say such a person is flourishing?
Fortunately, philosophy, human psychology, and neuroscience are now converging on a definitive answer. The Human Flourishing Program at Harvard's Institute for Quantitative Social Science designed the "Flourish" measure obtained by looking at your scores across 5 domains.
- Happiness and life satisfaction.
- Mental and physical health.
- Meaning.
- Character and virtue.
- Close social relationships.
- Financial and material stability.
And there it is.. "meaning". But what makes meaning? A consensus is emerging, and that meaning has 3 components
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The three elements explained: - (Cognitive) Coherence: Our life follows an intelligible pattern part of a context (or narrative) that makes sense of one's existence or existence in general. Can you make sense of our life in relation to the world?
- (Affective) Significance relates to feeling important or valuable in your existence and/or your activities. Do you feel satisfied and fulfilled with your contribution/value?
- (Motivational) Direction refers to having objectives that help direct, prioritise, and make sense of choices, goals, and actions. Do you direct your energies to a desired
future?
There is agreement in the literature that this third component, motivational direction, is what popular writing refers to as "purpose". Purpose is part of meaning-making. It's the motivational direction. The activities that we actualise.
I desire motivational direction (i.e. purpose), but how do I know which choices, goals, and actions lead to it?
Evidence exists that a sense of purpose matters, but little research has been carried out over time (from youth through adolescence to old age) on what shapes purpose throughout life. What has been found so far in research:
- Religious service attendance, maternal attachment, and volunteering during late childhood were among the strongest predictors of subsequently having a higher sense of purpose during adolescence;
- Marijuana use and depression tended to lead subsequently to lower levels of purpose;
- Volunteering has one of the most significant effects on increasing purpose in life among middle-aged and older adults.
While the list is narrow, I'm prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt, given the research is in its infancy. As the research matures, I anticipate we'll see more insights into purpose in the future. Ok, so we discussed meaning and purpose. Where does that leave anyone who wants to "have an impact"?
There is relatively little open-source research on impact. I define it as the effect that we have on others.
Meaning is the inner element that gives us the direction to have an impact. Meaning provides us with the energy to formulate plans and actions. The external result of that directd energy is our impact. What should you do with all of this, ? If we focus on meaning and its 3 components – coherence, significance, and direction – then purpose and impact are taken care of.
By clarifying your life's meaning, you also have direction (purpose) and impact. Here are a few practical suggestions for your reflection on the three strands of meaning – coherence, significance, and direction. On coherence …
… In my newsletter from 11 October (link), I wrote about Bruce Feiler's research into life transitions. His big theme: Each of us has a "narrative identity" - a story of our place in the world. The concept of "Narrative identity" directly speaks to creating cognitive coherence.
The question becomes: Is your story supporting you? Does it nurture you?
Bruce offers three strands of our narrative identity: - The Me story— the one in which we're the hero, the doer, the creator; we exercise agency and, in return, feel fulfilled.
- The We story— the one in which we're part of a community, a family, a team; we belong to a group and, in turn, feel needed.
- The Thee story— the one in which we're serving an ideal, a faith, a cause; we give ourselves to others and, by extension, feel part of
something larger.
On significance … … Do you feel satisfied and fulfilled with your contribution (at home, at work, in your community, or in the broader world)? Does it give you a sense of significance? If not, what changes might lead you to feel more satisfied/fulfilled? On direction (purpose) … … Are you energised by the choices you have made (or are making) in life? Do you have activities (maybe even goals) that you pursue that motivate you? Do you feel your energies are directed towards the right things? I’d love to hear your reflection on this. Was this distinction helpful to you?
If you want to explore any of these in your life or make changes for 2024, my coaching journey is a good one to start. Book your 45 min discovery call. Simone Sources:
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