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Dreaming of a Brighter Future: Anticipating Happiness Instills Meaning in Life

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  • Wijnand A. P. Tilburg

    (King’s College London)

  • Eric R. Igou

    (University of Limerick)

Abstract

We theorized and tested that people’s predictions of their future as brighter than the present fulfill an important purpose: they give a sense of meaning to life. We systematically tested this existentialist hypothesis by adopting a self-regulatory approach. Study 1 indicates that envisioning a happier future helps people to find meaning in everyday life behaviors, provided that these are perceived to be instrumental for the pursuit of happiness. Consistently, Study 2 shows that envisioning such increases in future happiness is particularly employed by those who are prone to seek meaning in life. Finally, Study 3 reveals that after people envision a brighter future their perceived meaning in life increases, and it does so especially for those prone to search for meaning in life. Together, these studies suggest that imagining future happiness in part serves the function of perceiving life as meaningful. This research is novel, and builds on and contributes to the literature on meaning making, happiness, well-being, and affective forecasting.

Suggested Citation

  • Wijnand A. P. Tilburg & Eric R. Igou, 2019. "Dreaming of a Brighter Future: Anticipating Happiness Instills Meaning in Life," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 541-559, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:20:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1007_s10902-018-9960-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-018-9960-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Blanchflower, David G. & Oswald, Andrew J., 2004. "Well-being over time in Britain and the USA," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(7-8), pages 1359-1386, July.
    2. Veljko Jovanović & Vesna Gavrilov-Jerković, 2013. "Dimensionality and Validity of the Serbian Version of the Life Orientation Test-Revised in a Sample of Youths," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 771-782, June.
    3. Christopher Peterson & Nansook Park & Martin Seligman, 2005. "Orientations to happiness and life satisfaction: the full life versus the empty life," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 25-41, March.
    4. Barbara L Fredrickson & Karen M Grewen & Sara B Algoe & Ann M Firestine & Jesusa M G Arevalo & Jeffrey Ma & Steve W Cole, 2015. "Psychological Well-Being and the Human Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(3), pages 1-17, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Edward C. Chang, 2024. "Beyond Dispositional Optimism and Pessimism: Does the Tripartite Model of Meaning in Life Matter in Predicting Future Well-Being in Adults?," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 25(5), pages 1-18, June.
    2. Dominik Borawski, 2022. "The Mediating Role of Positive Orientation in the Relationship between Loneliness and Meaning in Life," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-8, August.
    3. Khatun Asma & Yu Nakamura & Koji Kotani, 2024. "Mismatch and happiness in marital relationship: Importance of future-planning communication and inquisitiveness," Working Papers SDES-2024-1, Kochi University of Technology, School of Economics and Management, revised Apr 2024.
    4. Mst Asma Khatun & Yu Nakamura & Koji Kotani, 2021. "Mis(match) and happiness in marital relationship: Importance of future planning and inquisitiveness," Working Papers SDES-2021-7, Kochi University of Technology, School of Economics and Management, revised Jul 2021.
    5. Feng Zhang & Li Su & Xiaowei Geng, 2023. "The Mediating Effect of Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction between Future Socio-Economic Status and Undergraduates’ Sense of Meaning in Life," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-11, April.
    6. Eric R. Igou & Aidan A. Blake & Herbert Bless, 2021. "Just-World Beliefs Increase Helping Intentions via Meaning and Affect," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(5), pages 2235-2253, June.

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