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Why You Should Stop Chasing Happiness and Start Embracing Meaning
Forget happiness. Learn why meaning is the secret ingredient to a fulfilling life, and how to find it with easy and proven tips from science.
Are you happy or are you meaningful? This may seem like a strange question, but it is one that researchers have been trying to answer for decades. Happiness and meaning are two of our most central motivations in life, and they are often linked to our well-being. But what exactly are they, and how are they different?
Happiness and meaning both have positive effects on our well-being, but they also have some drawbacks and limitations. Happiness can make us complacent, selfish, and short-sighted. Meaning can make us suffer, sacrifice, and struggle. Happiness and meaning can sometimes complement each other, but they can also conflict with each other.
What is happiness and what is meaning?
Researchers often use different methods and scales to assess happiness and meaning. For example, happiness can be measured by asking people how often they experience positive and negative emotions, how satisfied they are with their lives, or how happy they are in…