Today we have Michael Steger on the podcast. Dr. Steger is a Professor of Psychology, and the Founding Director of the Center for Meaning and Purpose at Colorado State University. He studies the link between meaning in life and well-being, as well as the psychological predictors of physical health and health-risk behaviors, and the facilitators and benefits of engaging in meaningful work.
In this episode we discuss the following topics:
- The definition of meaning in life
- The measurement of meaning
- The dark triad and meaning
- “The Hitler Problem”
- Life satisfaction vs. meaning in life
- Different forms of pleasure
- The possibility for “meaning exhaustion”
- Meaningful work
- The difference between coherence, purpose, and significance
- Different meanings of purpose
- The strongest sources of meaning in life