The Fundamental Role of Meaning and Purpose in Life in Personal and Social Well-Being: A Cross-sectional Exploratory Investigation in University Students

Background: The presence or absence of factors fundamental to the human person (e.g., finding one's meaning and purpose in life vs searching for meaning in life, healthy connections with others vs disconnectedness), have the potential to influence an individual and their overall and mental well-being, ultimately impacting their interactions with others. Thus, utilizing the structure provided by cognitive behavioral therapy’s cognitive model, in addition to investigating potential relationships between loneliness, social connectedness, meaning and purpose in life, anxiety, conformity and displaced aggression, this research also sought to address the potential mediating role of meaning and purpose in life. Methods: University students (ages 18+) were administered an anonymous survey assessing: 1) demographics, 2) loneliness, 3) meaning and purpose in life, 4) generalized anxiety, 5) social connectedness, 6) conformity, and 7) displaced aggression. The final number of participants whose responses met inclusion criteria was 699. Results: Presence of meaning and purpose in life and lower levels of loneliness predicted social connectedness. In contrast, search for meaning, lower purpose in life, higher levels of loneliness and lower social connectedness predicted anxiety. Lower social connectedness and higher anxiety scores predicted overall displaced aggression. Greater anxiety and lower presence of meaning predicted conformity. Additionally, meaning and/or purpose in life significantly mediated the relationship between both loneliness and social connectedness, and social connectedness and anxiety. Presence of meaning and purpose in life respectively mediated the relationship between anxiety and both conformity and displaced aggression. Correlation analysis supported these relationships. In general, females scored higher than males and the female sex predicted social connectedness and anxiety. Discussion: Our results suggest a fundamental role of meaning and/or purpose in life in influencing various aspects associated with an individual’s overall well-being. Additionally, an absence of such meaning was shown to negatively impact the individual’s relationships with/behaviors towards others. Thus, our results reinforce the necessity for the treatment of psychopathologies to focus on discovering and developing aspects of the individual’s life that provide true value and significance which ultimately impact the very core of their human essence, their overall well-being, and interactions/relationships with others in a more enduring way.