Boston University, MA, USA.
Stanford University, CA, USA.
Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2024 May;50(5):780-792. doi: 10.1177/01461672221150234. Epub 2023 Feb 1.
We test the hypothesis that the perception of stability in one's self-concept (i.e., future self-continuity) enables the experience of meaning in life because perceiving a stable sense of self confers a sense of certainty to the self-concept. Study 1 provided initial evidence of the influence of future self-continuity on feelings of meaning in life (MIL) in a nationally representative sample. In Studies 2a and 2b, we manipulated future self-continuity by varying the expectedness of one's future self, demonstrating the causal influence of future self-continuity on self-certainty and feelings of MIL. Study 3 again manipulated future self-continuity, finding an indirect effect on feelings of meaning in life via self-certainty. Our findings thus suggest the experience of meaning in life arises from the perception of a stable sense of self. We discuss the implications for the antecedents and conceptualization of MIL as well as the nature of the self-concept.
我们检验了这样一个假设，即对自我概念稳定性的感知（即未来自我连续性）能够使人体验到生活的意义，因为感知到一个稳定的自我感赋予自我概念以确定性。研究 1 在一个具有全国代表性的样本中提供了未来自我连续性对生活意义感（MIL）影响的初步证据。在研究 2a 和 2b 中，我们通过改变未来自我的可预期性来操纵未来自我连续性，证明了未来自我连续性对自我确定性和生活意义感的因果影响。研究 3 再次操纵了未来自我连续性，发现它通过自我确定性对生活意义感产生间接影响。因此，我们的研究结果表明，生活的意义感源于对稳定自我感的感知。我们讨论了对生活意义感的前因和概念化以及自我概念的本质的影响。
