The pros and cons of having a meaningful life

Although meaning in life is often perceived as an important aspect of psychological well-being, Baumeister, Vohs, Aaker, and Garbinsky (2013) suggest that finding meaning in one's life includes not only positive affect but also anxiety. The purpose of these studies was to investigate if college students who attached meaning to their educations and interpersonal relationships also experienced negative affect and anxiety about these experiences. In Study 1 we hypothesized that the more meaningful students found attending college the more positive and negative affect they would experience. In Study 2 we extended the hypothesis to interpersonal meaning through examination of friendships and romantic and family relationships. Across both studies, educational and interpersonal meaning was associated with general positive affect and fear of failure. These findings suggest that meaning in life may be associated with not only happiness, but also stress because of the worry over losing the meaningful experience.