Abstract
People seek to spend time in positive experiences, enjoying and savoring. Yet there is no escaping negative experiences, from the mundane (e.g. arguing) to the massive (e.g. death of a child). Might negative experiences confer a hidden benefit to well-being? We propose that they do, in the form of enhanced meaning in life. Research suggests that negative experiences can serve to boost meaning because they stimulate comprehension (understanding how the event fits into a broader narrative of the self, relationships, and the world), a known pillar of meaning in life. Findings on counterfactual thinking, reflecting on events’ implications, and encompassing experiences into broad-based accounts of one's identity support the role of comprehension in contributing to life's meaning from unwanted, unwelcome experiences.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 11-14 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Current Opinion in Psychology |
| Volume | 26 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 1 2019 |
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PubMed: MeSH publication types
- Journal Article
- Review
Cite this
It's not going to be that fun : negative experiences can add meaning to life. / Vohs, Kathleen D; Aaker, Jennifer L.; Catapano, Rhia.
In: Current Opinion in Psychology, Vol. 26, 01.04.2019, p. 11-14.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - It's not going to be that fun
T2 - negative experiences can add meaning to life
AU - Vohs, Kathleen D
AU - Aaker, Jennifer L.
AU - Catapano, Rhia
PY - 2019/4/1
Y1 - 2019/4/1
N2 - People seek to spend time in positive experiences, enjoying and savoring. Yet there is no escaping negative experiences, from the mundane (e.g. arguing) to the massive (e.g. death of a child). Might negative experiences confer a hidden benefit to well-being? We propose that they do, in the form of enhanced meaning in life. Research suggests that negative experiences can serve to boost meaning because they stimulate comprehension (understanding how the event fits into a broader narrative of the self, relationships, and the world), a known pillar of meaning in life. Findings on counterfactual thinking, reflecting on events’ implications, and encompassing experiences into broad-based accounts of one's identity support the role of comprehension in contributing to life's meaning from unwanted, unwelcome experiences.
AB - People seek to spend time in positive experiences, enjoying and savoring. Yet there is no escaping negative experiences, from the mundane (e.g. arguing) to the massive (e.g. death of a child). Might negative experiences confer a hidden benefit to well-being? We propose that they do, in the form of enhanced meaning in life. Research suggests that negative experiences can serve to boost meaning because they stimulate comprehension (understanding how the event fits into a broader narrative of the self, relationships, and the world), a known pillar of meaning in life. Findings on counterfactual thinking, reflecting on events’ implications, and encompassing experiences into broad-based accounts of one's identity support the role of comprehension in contributing to life's meaning from unwanted, unwelcome experiences.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85046097033&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.04.014
DO - 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.04.014
M3 - Review article
VL - 26
SP - 11
EP - 14
JO - Current Opinion in Psychology
JF - Current Opinion in Psychology
SN - 2352-250X
ER -