The first few thousand years of humanity’s existence were focused on fighting for survival.

Days were spent foraging for edible plants or chasing after wooly mammoths, leaving humans with little time to ponder the meaning of life. But on the horizon was the dawn of civilization, and as humanity stopped chasing after its next meal, the hunt turned to that for a search for life’s purpose. What are we here for? Why do we do . . . anything?

Though the search for meaning has changed drastically with the turn of each century, its existence has remained constant. Even before civilization, prehistoric humans sought meaning in the forms of animism and the worship of nature. Later, philosophers and commoners alike sought meaning in all spheres of life, from the purpose of our day-to-day actions to the purpose of our existence itself. Ancient civilizations developed complex polytheistic religions, which had multiple gods. People turned to mythology and the divine will to explain human nature. Meanwhile, classical philosophers sought fulfillment through philosophy. Some speculated that a meaningful life is one lived in accordance with the stipulations of morality. By the end of the Roman empire, polytheistic religions faded into the background as monotheistic belief systems such as Christianity, and eventually Islam, dominated Europe and the Middle East. Unlike in the era of antiquity, the God most people now worshiped was perfect: an embodiment of virtue. Followers found meaning in religious devotion and conformity through the values and ethics of religious doctrines. In Europe, this value system reached its peak in the Medieval era, before ideals centered around humanism and individualism became mainstream during the Renaissance and were reinforced by the Enlightenment. The pursuit of meaning in life turned inward and became more personal. The individualized search for purpose was further exacerbated by the rise of secularism, an ideology seeking to separate religion from human affairs, following the Industrial Revolution. In the 20th century, the philosophy of existentialism became popular, its primary belief being that the burden of creating one’s meaning before an indifferent universe is the individual’s burden.

Now, in an increasingly efficiency-oriented society where oftentimes we can’t help but be reduced to data points on a screen, the significance of meaning has yet to expire. In fact, over 90% of those surveyed in over a hundred nations reportedly believed that their lives had an important purpose. So why have we humans, in all our eras of development, never ceased to seek out life’s value?

On a purely biological level, humans are programmed to seek out patterns and connections in our surroundings. This has evolutionarily given humans an advantage in making sense of our surroundings and allowing us to make better decisions. Oftentimes, these connections between ourselves and the environment around us create a deeper significance for our presence in the environment. For some, their cognition also pushes them to prefer challenging intellectual questions, which include those regarding the purpose of life. From here we can determine that our inherent cognition is a driving factor in humanity’s search for worth.

Emotions are also closely linked with meaning. As humans, we are programmed to desire positive emotional experiences. However, it is difficult to feel happy, loved, or fulfilled, if we fail to affirm that there is meaning in the things we do. After all, it’s awfully depressing to do something simply for its practical purpose. We want to think our actions have some greater purpose, to connect with something greater than ourselves. If an office worker were to simply work a mundane desk job for the sake of survival, they would find no fulfillment in their work and ultimately derive no positive experience from the endeavor they spend 40 hours a week on. This would lead to a decrease in, or even a lack of, motivation, which eventually would lead to a decline in mental health. Psychologist Viktor Frankl wrote that the search for meaning is the primary and intrinsic drive for humans. He argued that we don't create worth, we discover it, and that this discovery comes most easily in times of suffering. This process of looking for life’s value forces us to pay close attention to both intrapersonal and interpersonal needs, wants, and exchanges, allowing us to see the significance of our relationships and societal contributions. His theory suggests that individuals try to find worth as a means to cope with existential issues and increase their psychological well-being. We can therefore infer that the more hardships we face, the more likely it is that we strive for meaning. This is corroborated by Shigehiro Oishi and Ed Diener in their survey suggesting that those living in poorer nations, where struggles are exacerbated by poverty, typically have a greater sense of purpose than those living in wealthier countries. In summary, humans search for meaning in life to fulfill the psychological need for positive emotions and to cope with existential hardships.

We can also analyze this phenomenon from the perspective of self-determination theory, which proposes that humanity’s need for purpose is related to our basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Individuals who are able to satisfy these three needs are more likely to experience intrinsic motivation, rather than motivation forced upon them by outward pressures and conditions. Humans are motivated to pursue activities and relationships that meet these needs, and finding value is one way to do so. For example, a fulfilling career contributes to an individual’s needs for autonomy and competence, whereas a healthy relationship provides an individual with a sense of relatedness. Thus, we can conclude that we look for purpose as a method of satisfying our psychological needs.

The search for meaning is an intrinsic and multifaceted aspect of everyone’s lives, and it has been throughout humanity’s development. The basis for this is deeply rooted in our psychology. Our cognition pushes us to look for significant patterns. We seek meaning as a way to cope with hardships and fulfill our psychological need for positive emotions in the face of suffering. This also provides us with the autonomy, competence, and relatedness that we require to function psychologically. Given how deeply the search for meaning is rooted in our psyche, it is undeniable that this fundamental need remains a common thread uniting humanity in a quest to make sense of our existence.

Sources:

DeAngelis, T. In search of meaning. Monitor on Psychology, 49(9), 38. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2018/10/cover-search-meaning

Heintzelman, S. J., & King, L. A. (2014). Life is pretty meaningful. American

Oishi, S., & Diener, E. (2013). Residents of Poor Nations Have a Greater Sense of Meaning in Life Than Residents of Wealthy Nations. Psychological Science, 25(2), 422–430. doi:10.1177/0956797613507286

Pattakos, A. (2018, June 16). Search for Meaning as the Basic Human Motivation. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-meaningful-life/201807/search-meaning-the-basic-human-motivation

Psychologist, 69(6), 561–574. doi:10.1037/a0035049

Steger, M. F., Kashdan, T. B., Sullivan, B. A., & Lorentz, D. (2008). Understanding the Search for Meaning in Life: Personality, Cognitive Style, and the Dynamic Between Seeking and Experiencing Meaning. Journal of Personality, 76(2), 199–228. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2007.00484.x

University of Rochester Medical Center (n.d.). Our Approach: Self-Determination Theory. Center for Community Health & Prevention. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/community-health/patient-care/self-determination-theory.aspx