Meaning. For many people that is something big, something special. But research shows that ordinary things can also contribute to it. It is called ‘MIL’ in the scientific literature: meaning in life† And not only is it nice to experience MIL, there are also pleasant side effects. It is good for your mental health, you live longer and you have more success in your work. Well worth it.
According to a review study a few years ago, three sources play an important role in the experience of MIL: meaning, purposefulness and coherence (in the research literature: significance† purpose† coherence† We experience meaning when our life seems important, goes somewhere and makes sense. Recognizable?
We like to talk about meaning and purpose, but the coherence factor often remains somewhat underexposed. Two psychologists who have focused on this phenomenon are Samantha Heintzelman and Laura King. They discovered in their experiments that even when subjects see trivial things – such as pictures of trees or groups of words – that are related to each other, they experience more meaning.
How do researchers explain the relationship between coherence and meaning? Our brain automatically constructs relationships between what we experience and perceive. In this way we organize individual pieces of information about the world and our lives. This gives us the pleasant feeling that things are right.
Those who see more cohesion experience more order, clarity and understanding, and less chaos, uncertainty and confusion. A nice comparison I came across: life is like an orchestra. If all the instruments are mixed up, you get confused. But when they go together harmoniously, you hear beautiful music.
If you want more meaning through coherence, you can do various things. For example: looking for patterns in life by reading or writing about what you are going through.
Also wearing daily routines and habits according to research contribute to the experience of meaning. How? Routines are actions that we repeat frequently. They are usually linked to fixed stimuli in the environment and follow predictable patterns. As a result, they offer a foothold in a world where chaos and coincidence play an important role.
What kind of routines are we talking about? Very simple ones, such as: keeping your office tidy, having a set work schedule, meeting friends weekly, even driving your commute, according to researcher Heintzelman†
Routines can thus contribute to the experience of MIL – and vice versa. Heintzelman and colleagues point out that in phenomena that can make a powerful contribution to meaning, such as work, relationships and religion, routines, habits and rituals often play an important role.
Short and sweet: meaning does not have to revolve around extraordinary events and activities. We can also experience MIL just fine through the ordinary everyday things we do.
It might be even better if you can combine the three sources of meaning – meaning, purpose and coherence – into valuable rituals. I’ll just name one thing: cooking a healthy, sustainable meal every day; a regular night out with your partner; or put together all kinds of research every week into a nice, coherent piece for this newspaper.
Ben Tiggelaar writes weekly about personal leadership, work and management.
A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of June 4, 2022