Is it more than an instantaneous blip in the universe? Investigating the link between religiosity and perceived meaning in life

First published Dec. 29, 2021 Research Article

https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672211060136

Commentary

One longitudinal study and four cross-sectional studies (total N= 3,141) tested two explanations for the association between religiosity and meaning in life.

In this one, religiosity may foster a sense of importance, or significance, either to others or to the grand scheme of the universe (social issues) (cosmic issues).

This sense supports perceived meaning, and the researchers found that perceived social problems were hypothesized to mediate, but not fully explain, the association between religiosity and perceived meaning.

In contrast, perceived cosmic problems were shown to fully explain the association, they said. These results suggest that perceived social and cosmic problems are each part of the explanation.

The perceived cosmic problem seems to be a more powerful mechanism, the researchers explain, arguing that religious beliefs may be particularly well suited to support such perceptions.