Along these lines, self-described “takers” were happier than self-described “givers,” and spending time with friends was linked to happiness more than meaning, whereas spending more time with loved ones was linked to meaning but not happiness. Although social connections were linked to both happiness and meaning, happiness was connected more to the benefits one receives from social relationships, especially friendships, while meaningfulness was related to what one gives to others-for example, taking care of children.

Meaningfulness is derived from giving to other people happiness comes from what they give to you.In addition, happiness was seen as fleeting, while meaningfulness seemed to last longer. Happiness involves being focused on the present, whereas meaningfulness involves thinking more about the past, present, and future-and the relationship between them.Therefore, health, wealth, and ease in life were all related to happiness, but not meaning. Happy people satisfy their wants and needs, but that seems largely irrelevant to a meaningful life.More specifically, the researchers identified five major differences between a happy life and a meaningful one. Their findings suggest that meaning (separate from happiness) is not connected with whether one is healthy, has enough money, or feels comfortable in life, while happiness (separate from meaning) is. Their statistical analysis tried to separate out what brought meaning to one’s life but not happiness, and what brought happiness but not meaning. And they were curious to learn more about the differences between the two. They found that a meaningful life and a happy life often go hand-in-hand-but not always. He bases that claim on a paper he published last year in the Journal of Positive Psychology, co-authored with researchers at the University of Minnesota and Stanford.īaumeister and his colleagues surveyed 397 adults, looking for correlations between their levels of happiness, meaning, and various other aspects of their lives: their behavior, moods, relationships, health, stress levels, work lives, creative pursuits, and more. “A happy life and a meaningful life have some differences,” says Roy Baumeister, a Francis Eppes Professor of Psychology at Florida State University.

Five differences between a happy life and a meaningful one The controversy surrounding it raises big questions about what happiness actually means: While there may be more to life than happiness, there may also be more to “happiness” than pleasure alone.

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