Steven Heine is a professor of social and cultural psychology at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of Cultural Psychology, the top-selling book in its field. His research has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Newsweek, and New Scientist, among other publications.
What’s the big idea?
A lot of people right now feel lost, anxious, and despaired. During these dark times, preserving a sense of meaning in our lives is vital. Fortunately, meaning can be cultivated and can ground us when life feels turbulent. The emerging field of existential psychology is refining practices for tuning in to the worth, purpose, and importance of your life.
Below, Steven shares five key insights from his new book, Start Making Sense: How Existential Psychology Can Help Us Build Meaningful Lives in Absurd Times. Listen to the audio version—read by Steven himself—in the Next Big Idea App.
1. Meaning in life helps protect against anxiety
Everyone seems on edge these days. The world is going through somewhat of a mental health crisis as rates of anxiety, depression, and deaths of despair have jumped sharply in many countries. How can we cope with these dark times?
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The sense of leading a meaningful life protects us from anxiety and uncertainty. When people feel that their lives are meaningful, a sense of purpose guides them, and their life makes sense. They feel that what they do matters and can make a difference in the world. People who feel their lives are meaningful can stand strong in the face of the slings and arrows thrown at them by these uncertain times. They enjoy greater well-being and fare better in coping with their anxieties.
The emerging field of existential psychology has provided evidence-based answers to what makes a life meaningful. Ultimately, meaning is about connections, and a meaningful life is richly connected. For example, interpersonal connections play a key role because people feel that their lives are more meaningful when they spend time with their closest relationships, especially when taking on a caretaker role. People also feel more meaningful when they are part of a community because it gives them a sense of belongingness and identity. People’s connections to their work can also provide a sense of purpose and mastery. And people feel meaningful when their lives are connected to the transcendent realm, feeling that they are part of something much larger than the material world.
When people’s lives are sufficiently connected in these domains, they are existentially grounded. Their lives make sense, they feel a sense of purpose in what they do, and they feel that their lives matter in the grand scheme of things. This mindset helps people thrive during trying times.