Why do humans seek meaning in life? Ever since I can remember, I’ve wondered about the meaning of my own life. I tried to work out why we’re here at all and what we ought to be doing whilst we are. People would often point me in the direction of religion, but I still felt there was more to be understood.
It wasn’t until I studied psychology at university and discovered Existential Psychology that I started to find more satisfactory answers. But why do so many of us feel this drive to give a purpose to our own existence? As far as we know, human beings are the only living creatures that do this, so why can’t we just be satisfied with existing for the sake of it?
Human beings seek meaning in life primarily as an evolutionary instinct. However, there are other factors that contribute to this drive, such as cultural influence, other existential anxieties, and the desire for a sense of structure and direction.
As you can see, there is no one sole reason for the desire for meaning. It’s a phenomenon influenced by multiple factors, each of which requires an explanation in its own right. Let’s explore these factors and how they interact to create the human desire for meaning.
Meaning And Evolution
As human beings, it’s natural for us to project meaning onto things. For example, when you look at a cloud in the sky, no matter its shape, you’re likely to be reminded of something else that the cloud ‘looks like’. According to psychology, humans will naturally try to fit all stimuli into patterns in order to distinguish their meaning, and this is what helped us to survive and evolve.
Studies in Psychology have shown that when presented with random dots, we organise them into a meaningful image, and when presented with an incomplete circle, we automatically perceive it as complete.
The human brain does the same thing with behavioural data. For example, if someone is acting strangely, you’re likely to come up with an explanation or even a whole story in your mind automatically, to understand why this is happening. When these stimuli don’t fit logically into any pattern, this causes irritation and even anxiety. This is an evolutionary adaptation that’s helped humans survive for millions of years.
Dr Irvan Yalom, psychiatrist and author of ‘Existential Psychotherapy’, claims that we also project similar patterns of meaning onto our own existential situation. We search for meanings and explanations for existence itself. This gives us a sense of mastery and control over our own lives, as well as a sense of direction in them.
Values, Structure, And Existential Anxiety
Yalom claims that meaning gives a comforting structure which soothes existential anxiety. Meaning gives birth to values which in turn inform us how to live our lives.
In other words, if we had no sense of meaning or purpose in our lives at all, we wouldn’t know what to strive towards, and therefore, how to spend our time on earth. On the other hand, if the meaning of someone’s life was to love and enjoy their family, their values would likely reflect this (i.e. family time would be their biggest value), and they would assign their time and energy accordingly, such as visiting family frequently or even working in a particular job that benefits their family the most.
Yalom proposes another possible reason one might feel a sense of meaninglessness in life, and it has nothing to do with meaning at all. He claims that the question of meaning is often contaminated, and that issues other than meaning are attached to it and confound it.
One of these contaminating issues is death anxiety. The desire to leave behind a legacy that will enable one to ‘transcend death’ will often disguise itself as a search for meaning in life. Many people want to feel like their lives ‘matter’ in order to avoid that feeling of helplessness that comes from the temporary nature of our existence. People often seek meaning to avoid dying without leaving anything behind.
Meaning Is A Human Construct
Most people are likely to associate meaning in life with certain achievements and outcomes they can attain. However, up until roughly the sixteenth century, this wasn’t the case. The view that progress in civilisation is desirable is a relatively new phenomenon in northern Europe, and many other places around the world still don’t agree with this notion.
For example, many eastern cultures would find the concept of purpose in life unusual or even harmful. They place emphasis on ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’ in life. Western culture is often drawn to dissecting and exploiting life. In contrast, Eastern culture favours simply experiencing and integrating with it.
Yalom summarises this well by stating; ‘the belief that life is incomplete without goal fulfilment is not so much a tragic existential fact of life as it is a western myth, a cultural artefact.’
It’s entirely possible that the meaning of life is to be alive – just to experience it.
‘Certainly, there are means that are complete unto themselves’.