Beyond survival: finding what makes life truly meaningful

By Adriana Grossmann 

Human beings are driven by more than survival instincts. Life is a journey fueled by purpose and meaning, a search to understand why our lives matter and how to direct our energy toward something greater than ourselves. These questions are central to the work of Michael F. Steger, Professor of Psychology and Founding Director of the Center for Meaning and Purpose at Colorado State University. 

Through decades of research, Steger has shown how meaning and purpose shape mental health, resilience and even longevity. “My research has focused on understanding the factors that foster well-being and reduce psychological distress in people’s lives,” he explains. Having studied extensively the role of meaning in human flourishing, he adds, “Humans appear to have a strong desire to understand their experiences, find clarity about their identity and identify a sense of purpose in their lives.” (Steger, n.d.)

What is the search for meaning?

Steger makes a critical distinction between meaning in life and the meaning of life. The latter is a philosophical and often unanswerable question. The former is a psychological experience, an individual’s sense that their life matters, makes sense and is directed toward worthwhile aims. 

And it’s there that Steger finds what most matters in the search for meaning. “Most important from a psychological perspective is the meaning in life,” he told the well-being podcast Action for Happiness. “Once we position meaning as something that our heads, bodies, spirits and souls are trying to work out, then we can start asking questions of people about that, what makes your life meaningful? How is that different from what makes my life meaningful?”

The answer to those questions will be different for everybody. However, according to a paper published in The Journal of Positive Psychology (Martela & Steger, 2016), the concept of meaning can be divided into three elements:

• Significance: feeling that one’s life is valuable and worthwhile.

• Coherence: the ability to make sense of experiences and identity.

• Purpose: the pursuit of overarching, long-term aims that guide daily choices.

Purpose, in particular, is the active, future-oriented dimension of meaning. As Steger explains in an interview with the Wholebeing Institute, a good purpose “might not even be attainable, it’s the noble pursuit of an aim worthy of our lives that makes it valuable.” (Wholebeing Institute, n.d.). 

Why meaning matters for well-being

The importance of meaning goes far beyond philosophical debate. “I estimate that there are nearly 1,000 empirical studies that show some link to mental health, broadly defined,” says Steger (Wholebeing Institute, n.d.). These studies, many longitudinal in design, reveal consistent patterns: people who feel their lives are meaningful report greater happiness, life satisfaction and job satisfaction, as well as lower rates of depression and anxiety.

When applied in psychotherapy, meaning-centered approaches show especially strong effects. Research suggests that interventions designed to foster meaning account for a significant portion of the improvement seen in mental health treatments. “Meaning-centered approaches have large effect sizes on increasing well-being and reducing stress and distress,” Steger notes. (Wholebeing Institute, n.d.)

The impact may even extend to physical health and longevity. A 2024 study published in Psychology and Aging found that while life satisfaction did not reliably predict how long participants lived, a strong sense of purpose did (Martela et al.). As lead author Frank Martela summarized, “Purpose in life remained significant in all of our analyses, while life satisfaction didn’t.” (Suttie, 2024).

“Find your purpose, save your midlife,” said Steger, citing studies that reliably linked purpose not just to lifespan, but to quality of life in later years. Metrics such as agility, speed and even grip strengths, as well as better cognitive functioning, were measurably better in people enjoying a purposeful middle age. (Lewis et al, 2016). The implication is striking: living with purpose may literally add years to our lives, and life to our years.

Finding meaning in daily life

If meaning matters so much, how do we cultivate it? “What we do on a daily basis can affect how meaningful we find our lives to be,” Steger explains. He recognizes the human tendency to focus on the minor details of everyday life and forget to look at the bigger picture of what really drives us. “We get eaten up by trivialities because we can do something about them right now, often with very little insight, training, effort, or preparation,” he says. “Going deeper is harder work. Learning how to dedicate effort, rally motivation, commit to the right goals for the right reasons… these are more difficult tasks.” (Wholebeing Institute, n.d.).

Luckily, Steger’s research has found ways that we can use everyday activities to find deeper meaning in our lives. In one study, he and his colleagues found that people who engaged in eudaimonic activities (behavior that focuses on meaning, contribution and personal growth) reported higher well-being than those focused mainly on pleasure or material gain. 

Importantly, the positive feelings generated by activities like volunteering and personal improvement carried over into the next day, suggesting that “doing good” may be an important avenue by which people create meaningful and satisfying lives. (Steger et al., 2008).

Newness nourishes

Another study revealed that people who are curious by nature experienced more meaning and satisfaction on days when they explored, asked questions or tried new things. Curiosity not only sparked short-term boosts in well-being but also helped sustain a sense of meaning across time (Kashdan & Steger, 2007). For these people, lifelong learning and discovery may help shape a life fuelled by purpose.

Work is another crucial arena where meaning plays out. Steger’s research has shown that experiencing one’s career as a calling, work that feels intrinsically valuable and connected to something larger, has powerful effects on commitment, satisfaction and organizational loyalty. However, the relationship is nuanced: career commitment also at least moderately determines whether calling translates into positive professional outcomes (Duffy et al., 2010). This suggests that finding meaning and purpose at work is not simply a matter of finding one’s vocation, but of cultivating a committed relationship with one's chosen path.

Making moments matter

Ultimately, meaning and purpose are not distant goals to be solved once and for all, but ongoing practices woven into the texture of our daily lives. These practices will take a different form for each individual; what matters is recognizing what drives us. As Steger reflects in his 2013 TED talk, titled What Makes Life Meaningful, “We have all these moments that we’ve been given, and we have to make those moments matter.”

At IE University, we aim to foster exactly this kind of purposeful growth. Through innovative programs, sustainability initiatives and a global community of changemakers, we empower students to discover their own purpose and channel it into positive impact. This year, IE Center for Health & Well-being is proud to host the Meaning & Purpose Summit, bringing leading scholars together in the search for fulfilling and meaningful lives.

References

Action for Happiness (2025). How to find Meaning with Professor Michael Steger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-s4hG0BWS8

Duffy, R. D., Dik, B. J. & Steger, M. F. (2010). Calling and work-related outcomes: Career commitment as a mediator. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 78(2), 210–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2010.09.013

Kashdan, T. B. & Steger, M. F. (2007). Curiosity and pathways to well-being and meaning in life: Traits, states, and everyday behaviors. Motivation and Emotion, 31(3), 159–173. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-007-9068-7

Lewis, N. A. et al (2016). Purpose in life and cognitive functioning in adulthood. Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition. 24(6), 662-671
https://www.midus.wisc.edu/findings/pdfs/1611.pdf

Martela, F., Laitinen, E. & Hakulinen, C. (2024). Which predicts longevity better: Satisfaction with life or purpose in life? Psychology and Aging, 39(6), 589–598. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000802

Martela, F. & Steger, M. F. (2016). The three meanings of meaning in life: Distinguishing coherence, purpose, and significance. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 11(5), 531–545. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2015.1137623

Steger, M. F. (n.d.). Meaningful Living. Laboratory for the Study of Meaning and Quality of Life. http://www.michaelfsteger.com/?page_id=113 

Steger, M. F. (2013). What makes life meaningful: Michael Steger at TEDxCSU [Video]. TEDx Talks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLFVoEF2RI0 

Steger, M. F., Kashdan, T. B. & Oishi, S. (2007). Being good by doing good: Daily eudaimonic activity and well-being. Journal of Research in Personality, 42(1), 22–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2007.03.004 

Steger, M.F. (2020). Here’s how to find meaning in your midlife crisis. Greater Good Magazine.
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/heres_how_to_find_meaning_in_your_midlife_crisis

Suttie, J. (2024). To live longer, find your purpose in life. Greater Good Magazine. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/to_live_longer_find_your_purpose_in_life 

Wholebeing Institute (n.d.). Ask the Expert: A Q&A with Michael Steger on Purpose and Meaning. https://wholebeinginstitute.com/qa-with-michael-steger-on-purpose-and-meaning/