The everyday experience of meaning in life: an empirical perspective on what it is like to experience one’s life as meaningful or meaningless.

We all sometimes experience moments where our life feels meaningful or meaningless. But in which situations do these experiences arise? What are the emotions we are going through during these experiences? To answer these questions, we present the results of three studies in which we combine qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate the everyday experience of meaningfulness and meaninglessness (Study 1: 212 participants, Study 2: 295, Study 3: 299).Our findings suggest that the experience of meaningfulness is inherently self-transcendent, i.e., it involves going beyond the self by connecting with others and contributing to causes larger than oneself. This experience typically occurs in situations where we bond with others, have a positive impact on our surroundings or on society, and help others. The positive emotions associated with this experience include being moved, feeling part of a whole, feeling touched, feeling grateful, proud, and motivated, experiencing awe, and feeling enlightened.Conversely, we tend to feel that our life is meaningless in situations where we feel unfulfilled, lack connections, feel useless, struggle with our mental health, experience negative emotions, or experience a lack of direction in life. The negative emotions associated include feeling lost, sad, powerless, stressed, overwhelmed, and devastated.