Study Finds Hope is the Key to a Meaningful Life

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by EurekAlert!

Hope isn’t just wishful thinking — it’s a powerful emotional force that gives our lives meaning. Now, a new groundbreaking study from the University of Missouri shows it may be even more essential to well-being than happiness or gratitude.

For years, psychology has tied hope to goal-setting and motivation. But a team of researchers led by Megan Edwards and Laura King from Mizzou’s Department of Psychological Sciences is challenging that idea, showing that hope stands apart as one of the strongest positive emotions that directly fosters a sense of meaning.

“Our research shifts the perspective on hope from merely a cognitive process related to goal attainment to recognizing it as a vital emotional experience that enriches life’s meaning,” said Edwards, who earned a doctorate at Mizzou and is now a postdoctoral scholar at Duke University. “This insight opens new avenues for enhancing psychological well-being.”

Using six studies with more than 2,300 participants from diverse backgrounds, the team analyzed a range of emotions, including amusement, contentment, excitement, and happiness. The findings consistently demonstrated that only hope consistently predicted a stronger sense of meaning.

“Experiencing life as meaningful is crucial for just about every good thing you can imagine in a person’s life,” King said. “This cornerstone of psychological functioning is not a rare experience — it is available to people in their everyday lives and hope is one of the things that make life feel meaningful.”

Source: EurekAlert!
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1088006