One-Third of People are Indifferent to Living Meaningful Lives!

[Sunstone]

A new German study has found that about a third of society (35%) is indifferent to whether or not they are living meaningful lives.

According to the article:

Tatjana Schnell, a research psychologist at the University of Innsbruck in Austria, surveyed perceived meaningfulness in a modern population [of Germans].

Participants were surveyed using the SoMe scale, which measures people on a scale from those who believe they have a total lack of meaning in their lives to those who feel their lives are full of meaning, and breaks down individuals into four groups. Schnell categorizes people in this way:

• High meaningfulness, low crisis of meaning (meaningful)

• Low meaningfulness, low crisis of meaning (existentially indifferent)

• High meaningfulness, high crisis of meaning (conflicting)

• Low meaningfulness, high crisis of meaning (crisis of meaning)
​

The meaningfulness value is based upon one’s appraisal of life as “coherent, significant, directed, and belonging.” The crisis of meaning variable measures absence or presence of suffering drawn from meaninglessness.

Looking at a sample of 603 Germans, Schnell found that 61 percent were “meaningful,” 4 percent suffered a “crisis of meaning,” and 35 percent were “existentially indifferent,” those who “neither experience their lives as meaningful nor suffer from this lack of meaning.” So of the people who felt their lives lacked meaning, it really only bothered one in 10 of them.

The academics identified 26 “sources of meaning” in their study, and noted that the indifferent lacked sources like love, social commitment and unison of nature. They were especially low in self-knowledge, spirituality, explicit religiosity and generativity, even compared to those in a crisis.

Schnell stresses the low self-awareness among the apathetic. They do not face their own personal strengths and weaknesses because they are of little importance to them. Exceedingly little energy is invested in reflecting on themselves, their needs and motives.​

What do you make of this news?

 

[Valjean]

Interesting article. I think I'd fall into the 2nd category.

 

[Sunstone]

Interesting article. I think I'd fall into the 2nd category.

Same here. Although I don't think of myself as having low self-awareness.

 

[LuisDantas]

Isn't meaningfulness fairly variable? I guess I agree that it is not all that terrible if one doesn't have much of it.

 

[Sunstone]

Interesting article. I think I'd fall into the 2nd category.

Isn't meaningfulness fairly variable? I guess I agree that it is not all that terrible if one doesn't have much of it.

Do you see yourself as lacking "sources like love, social commitment and unison of nature"? Or, "low in self-knowledge, spirituality, explicit religiosity and generativity"?

 

[LuisDantas]

Do you see yourself as lacking "sources like love, social commitment and unison of nature"?

Sure. So are most people that I am aware of, far as I can tell.

Or, "low in self-knowledge, spirituality, explicit religiosity and generativity"?

Explicit religiosity is not worth much IMO. Spirituality is a very ill-defined word, so I have no idea about it. Otherwise, no.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

This is a much lower percentage than my experience indicates.

 

[Meow Mix]

I'm not surprised at all. I'm sure people who have "existential indifference" are a diverse group, but let me tell you what the people are like in America.

A great many of them are indifferent because they couldn't think their way out of a wet paper sack. They're indifferent because voting for American Idol is more important than voting in a political election. They're indifferent because gossiping about celebrities that they don't know and have never met is more important than learning something meaningful about the universe. They're indifferent because that football team or Nascar driver is more important than anything that could possibly stimulate a few brain cells. They're indifferent because it isn't cool or hip to learn, but rather it's cool to act (and to truly be) as disinterested in succeeding during school as humanly possible.

That's what the existentially indifferent people look like in America. I'm not saying all existentially indifferent people are nescient goobers, but in my experience, they sure are around here. Sometimes it looks like the point of their existence is just to move on to the next mindless stimulation.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I'm not surprised at all. I'm sure people who have "existential indifference" are a diverse group, but let me tell you what the people are like in America.

A great many of them are indifferent because they couldn't think their way out of a wet paper sack. They're indifferent because voting for American Idol is more important than voting in a political election. They're indifferent because gossiping about celebrities that they don't know and have never met is more important than learning something meaningful about the universe. They're indifferent because that football team or Nascar driver is more important than anything that could possibly stimulate a few brain cells. They're indifferent because it isn't cool or hip to learn, but rather it's cool to act (and to truly be) as disinterested in succeeding during school as humanly possible.

That's what the existentially indifferent people look like in America. I'm not saying all existentially indifferent people are nescient goobers, but in my experience, they sure are around here. Sometimes it looks like the point of their existence is just to move on to the next mindless stimulation.

All the good ones are lesbians.

 

[Mister Emu]

They're indifferent because that football team

Bah

 

[Meow Mix]

All the good ones are lesbians.

That stimulation isn't mindless, at least if it's done right and creatively

 

[Revoltingest]

Meaning is over-rated.

 

[Riverwolf]

I'm not surprised at all. I'm sure people who have "existential indifference" are a diverse group, but let me tell you what the people are like in America.

A great many of them are indifferent because they couldn't think their way out of a wet paper sack. They're indifferent because voting for American Idol is more important than voting in a political election. They're indifferent because gossiping about celebrities that they don't know and have never met is more important than learning something meaningful about the universe. They're indifferent because that football team or Nascar driver is more important than anything that could possibly stimulate a few brain cells. They're indifferent because it isn't cool or hip to learn, but rather it's cool to act (and to truly be) as disinterested in succeeding during school as humanly possible.

That's what the existentially indifferent people look like in America. I'm not saying all existentially indifferent people are nescient goobers, but in my experience, they sure are around here. Sometimes it looks like the point of their existence is just to move on to the next mindless stimulation.

And, unfortunately, they seem to make up the majority population over here...

I guess that may mean that the meanings of the four categories are really quite subjective.

What the article described as "existentially indifferent" sounded disturbingly like depression. Yet, I don't think being "existentially indifferent" would inherently lead to that at all.

 

[Penumbra]

A new German study has found that about a third of society (35%) is indifferent to whether or not they are living meaningful lives.

According to the article:

Tatjana Schnell, a research psychologist at the University of Innsbruck in Austria, surveyed perceived meaningfulness in a modern population [of Germans].

Participants were surveyed using the SoMe scale, which measures people on a scale from those who believe they have a total lack of meaning in their lives to those who feel their lives are full of meaning, and breaks down individuals into four groups. Schnell categorizes people in this way:

• High meaningfulness, low crisis of meaning (meaningful)

• Low meaningfulness, low crisis of meaning (existentially indifferent)

• High meaningfulness, high crisis of meaning (conflicting)

• Low meaningfulness, high crisis of meaning (crisis of meaning)
​

The meaningfulness value is based upon one’s appraisal of life as “coherent, significant, directed, and belonging.” The crisis of meaning variable measures absence or presence of suffering drawn from meaninglessness.

Looking at a sample of 603 Germans, Schnell found that 61 percent were “meaningful,” 4 percent suffered a “crisis of meaning,” and 35 percent were “existentially indifferent,” those who “neither experience their lives as meaningful nor suffer from this lack of meaning.” So of the people who felt their lives lacked meaning, it really only bothered one in 10 of them.

The academics identified 26 “sources of meaning” in their study, and noted that the indifferent lacked sources like love, social commitment and unison of nature. They were especially low in self-knowledge, spirituality, explicit religiosity and generativity, even compared to those in a crisis.

Schnell stresses the low self-awareness among the apathetic. They do not face their own personal strengths and weaknesses because they are of little importance to them. Exceedingly little energy is invested in reflecting on themselves, their needs and motives.​

What do you make of this news?

Good article, but I wish "meaning" were better defined for the sake of the article than to list four words.

Years ago I was in the crisis of meaning category, but for a long time I'd say I'm in the existentially indifferent category. But it depends, because I view the matter as having various layers.

My life is extremely "coherent" and "directed", but "belonging" and "significant" are more questionable. So I guess by their definition, I have meaning, but I view it as self-directed purpose and don't consider life to have any meaning.

As for the comments about existentially indifferent people being complacent and lacking in knowledge of self, I think that's likely accurate for the general population but not for people on a site like this one. As Meow Mix pointed out, the masses that are mostly concerned with celebrity gossip are likely to fall into such a group. Most of the people on this site that are existentially indifferent are people that have likely seriously analyzed the concept of meaning and then concluded that they have none rather than people that never considered such a topic. So they would likely represent a minority group that defies the statistics.

-Lyn

 

[idea]

quotes that stood out to me:

"the married were much more likely to be in the meaningful category (70 percent). "

"the indifferent lacked sources like love, social commitment and unison of nature. They were especially low in self-knowledge, spirituality, explicit religiosity and generativity" (overzealous self-analysis can impede the path to good mental health)

Without commitment to sources of meaning, life remains superficial...

To replace meaningful pursuits, they have a wide array of superficial weaponry. “Surrogates for meaningful commitment abound: They range from material possessions to pleasure seeking, from busy-ness to sexuality.”

So what makes your life meaningful?

For me:

1.God/eternity: because a belief in death makes everything temporary/meaningless.
2. Family/Love/husband/kids: I live for my fam
3. Music/science/books/art etc. etc.

 

[Penumbra]

quotes that stood out to me:


So what makes your life meaningful?

For me:

1.God/eternity: because a belief in death makes everything temporary/meaningless.
2. Family/Love/husband/kids: I live for my fam
3. Music/science/books/art etc. etc.

Numbers 2 and 3 are fine, but I don't see how number 1 really makes a difference.

A flower is beautiful and worthwhile even though it doesn't last very long.

 

[Sunstone]

Most of the people on this site that are existentially indifferent are people that have likely seriously analyzed the concept of meaning and then concluded that they have none rather than people that never considered such a topic. So they would likely represent a minority group that defies the statistics.

-Lyn

Very likely. I doubt many people who have never taken a look at themselves hang out on a forum like this one.

 

[Riverwolf]

1.God/eternity: because a belief in death makes everything temporary/meaningless.

Temporary doesn't necessarily automatically equate to meaninglessness. It can also have the effect of increasing its wonder.

I've heard it said, and I can attest to it since I've felt it occasionally, that when you realize that life is finite, it becomes even more beautiful and precious.

 

[dogsgod]

Starting tomorrow I'm going to live a meaningful life, just to see what it's like.

 

[zenzero]

Friend Ss,

35 percent were “existentially indifferent,” those who “neither experience their lives as meaningful nor suffer from this lack of meaning.

Personal understanding:
The size of this lot will keep increasing in future as through evolution humans realize the futility of creation of wealth, development for profit motive.
This lot has potentially one way to go which is inwards towards understanding f the self and so religion will be the next big wave across the western world; signs of which are already in the horizon.

Love & rgds