Relationships between meaning in life, social and achievement events, and positive and negative affect in daily life. 2015

Kyla A Machell, and Todd B Kashdan, and Jerome L Short, and John B Nezlek
George Mason University.

Research on meaning in life has generally focused on global meaning judgments. This study examined how people's daily experiences, represented by events that occur in daily life, influence their perceived sense of meaning on a daily basis. One hundred sixty-two college students completed daily reports for 2 weeks. We examined the relationships among daily social and achievement events, daily positive and negative affect, and daily meaning in life. In addition, we tested the possible moderating influence of depressive symptoms on these relationships. Positive daily social and achievement events were related to greater daily meaning, above and beyond the contributions of daily positive and negative affect. Negative social and achievement events were related to less daily meaning, and negative achievement events covaried with daily meaning above and beyond positive and negative affect. Depression moderated the relationships between positive events and meaning, such that people who reported more depressive symptoms had greater increases in daily meaning in response to positive social and achievement events than individuals who reported fewer symptoms. These findings suggest the important role that daily events may play in fluctuations in people's affective experiences and sense of meaning in life.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D003863 Depression Depressive states usually of moderate intensity in contrast with MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER present in neurotic and psychotic disorders. Depressive Symptoms,Emotional Depression,Depression, Emotional,Depressive Symptom,Symptom, Depressive
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000124 Achievement Success in bringing an effort to the desired end; the degree or level of success attained in some specified area (esp. scholastic) or in general. Accomplishment,Accomplishments,Achievements
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D000339 Affect The feeling-tone accompaniment of an idea or mental representation. It is the most direct psychic derivative of instinct and the psychic representative of the various bodily changes by means of which instincts manifest themselves. Mood,Affects,Moods
D001290 Attitude An enduring, learned predisposition to behave in a consistent way toward a given class of objects, or a persistent mental and/or neural state of readiness to react to a certain class of objects, not as they are but as they are conceived to be. Sentiment,Attitudes,Opinions,Opinion,Sentiments
D012919 Social Behavior Any behavior caused by or affecting another individual or group usually of the same species. Sociality,Behavior, Social,Behaviors, Social,Social Behaviors
D013997 Time Factors Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations. Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor

Related Publications

Kyla A Machell, and Todd B Kashdan, and Jerome L Short, and John B Nezlek
August 2009, Journal of research in personality,
Kyla A Machell, and Todd B Kashdan, and Jerome L Short, and John B Nezlek
January 2012, Cognitive behaviour therapy,
Kyla A Machell, and Todd B Kashdan, and Jerome L Short, and John B Nezlek
October 2022, Journal of American college health : J of ACH,
Kyla A Machell, and Todd B Kashdan, and Jerome L Short, and John B Nezlek
October 2013, Emotion (Washington, D.C.),
Kyla A Machell, and Todd B Kashdan, and Jerome L Short, and John B Nezlek
February 2024, Journal of religion and health,
Kyla A Machell, and Todd B Kashdan, and Jerome L Short, and John B Nezlek
July 2022, Cognitive neuropsychiatry,
Kyla A Machell, and Todd B Kashdan, and Jerome L Short, and John B Nezlek
May 2003, Personality & social psychology bulletin,
Kyla A Machell, and Todd B Kashdan, and Jerome L Short, and John B Nezlek
April 1990, The Gerontologist,
Kyla A Machell, and Todd B Kashdan, and Jerome L Short, and John B Nezlek
July 2023, Psychological research,
Kyla A Machell, and Todd B Kashdan, and Jerome L Short, and John B Nezlek
February 2023, International journal of mental health and addiction,
Copied contents to your clipboard!