Finding meaning in life is a journey that could start with something as simple as a pen and paper, deep reflection, and one of our tools mentioned above. Or your journey could start by stepping out the door and connecting with a neighbor, making a newfound friend, or starting a hobby you have wanted to explore but never got around to. A small 2018 study emphasizes that adrenaline-boosting activities fostered feelings of connection, happiness, and excitement in those who enjoyed them. Music Centenarians are more relaxed and easygoing (Samuelsson et al., 1997), place a great deal of importance on social relationships and events (Wong et al., 2014), have a more positive life attitude in general (Wong et al., 2014), and report low anxiety (Samuelsson et al., 1997).

We must] be happy with our friends, in harmony with the world, and earn our happiness by following a path which nevertheless leads to death.

Psychological researchers conduct research and measure psychological constructs such as happiness, depression, and intelligence. However, constructs first need to be defined before they can be measured.

Sonnenburg S, et al. (2017). Pathways to the hero’s journey: A tribute to Joseph Campbell and the 30th anniversary of his death. Motivation is useful for activities that are considered dull (e.g., washing the dishes), whereas passion is the driving force for activities that have significance for us. To summarize, it appears that centenarians adopt a positive mindset and psychological traits and value their social relationships. These factors may contribute to a longer, more meaningful life and protect against illness and depression. Fostering interests and hobbies is another way to find meaning in your life, buttressing against negative feelings and thoughts. Passion can be negative or positive, however. Negative passions, referred to as obsessive passions, are maladaptive and lead to unhealthy behaviors; these types of passions should be avoided. On the other hand, positive, harmonious passions improve our behavior and lead to optimal functioning. It’s that feeling of simultaneously understanding and being understood. Life offers the chance to find and prioritize people like that. Animal companions

Get in touch now

Making connections with other individuals and maintaining these relationships are reliable ways to develop a sense of meaningfulness (Heintzelman & King, 2014). Regan, T. Understanding animal rights violence. In The Animal Ethics Reader, 2nd ed.; Armstrong, S.J., Botzler, R.G., Eds.; Routledge/Taylor and Francis Group: Abingdon, UK, 2008; pp. 615–619. [ Google Scholar] Mellor, D.J. Positive welfare states and promoting environment-focused and animal-to-animal interactive behaviours. N. Z. Vet. J. 2015, 63, 9–16. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef] [ PubMed] But it strikes me as a really important question. What does make life worth living? And I think the reason people answer in such unsatisfying ways is that we’ve grown so used to defining ourselves in terms of possessions – possessions that literally feel like extensions of our self – that it’s hard to think of even the people close to us in any way other than as possessions, as “objects” with certain qualities that make us happy. Or, more often, don’t.