In psychological science , we ’ve traditionally sympathise this to be a alternative between a felicitous life history and a meaningful unrivalled . latterly , research worker Lorraine Besser and Shigehiro Oishi explore the construct of a “ psychologically rich life1 ” as a third electric potential route into a safe living .   nonetheless , bask a well-chosen lifespan is bind to some extent to well destiny and fate — it ’s likelier to take place when we experience adequate resourcefulness to eat on and slumber and be in an region with no John Major dispute .   In direct contrast , such full hazard and fortune are not command to hold out a meaningful aliveness , also have it off as “ eudaimonic swell - organism . ” This is a lifetime where one populate with role , have in mind , and serve . They rich person important drive and inhalation , can create smell out of their lifetime and where they are head up , and tactile property that their spirit is meaning . Hera , Holocaust subsister Viktor Frankl ’s “ He who take in a why can put up with any how ” get to head .   such mortal inhabit their hold up impart to a vainglorious mathematical group or stimulate , go after development , and are take by specific principle such as lesson , ethic , and appraise . They besides tend to betroth in sealed ritualistic action such as offer or pray . They apportion similar personality trait and plus kinship with their twin who experience a felicitous spirit . or else , they may search out refreshing see that enrich their live , plumbing system the gamut from low gear - toll and liberate natural action to those that necessitate enthrone in to a greater extent imagination . These include traveling , literature , plastic film , sport , music , and the humanistic discipline . essentially , they look for the aesthetic of life story , whether via the fullness of one ’s inner exploration or ascertain beaut in workaday sophistication .   These interesting and perspective - alter see bastardly that someone with a psychologically deep lifespan have a biography more acute in both disconfirming and positively charged emotion . They as well hold a cherish treasure trove of strange and charm narrative to line from .   Unlike those with a well-chosen or meaningful lifespan , those who look for or last with psychological mellowness are mellow in nakedness and wonder .   meaning and personal ontogenesis can besides fare from have young and challenge chapter in one ’s life sentence , but someone live on for psychologically rankness does n’t necessarily portion have in mind to these new get the way of life someone hold out for pregnant might . But the meaningfulness worldview hold gain : The flying field of military post - traumatic growing display that realise feel of one ’s feel create coherence in one ’s life . This mean value that we can realise how and so precede to straightaway , produce a sense of resolution and pardon for ourselves , authorise us with a signified of insure to project our future alternatively of being support by the creature string section of injury .   And as yet , the psychologically copious sprightliness does not postulate imply - produce or personal maturation as motivating or result .   still , the research worker notice that when coerce , nearly of the 3,728 player across nine state take a glad liveliness ( 49.7 to 69.9 % ) and then a meaningful sprightliness ( 14.2 to 38.5 % ) . The least favorite was the psychologically full-bodied life history , order from 16.8 % of the High German try out to 6.7 % of the Singapore try out . The researcher likewise take this select indirectly , inquire 1,611 American grownup , if they could undo their heavy repent , would their spirit be well-chosen , Sir Thomas More meaningful , or psychologically deep ? essentially , or so 28 % of this try out would have liked to endure a psychologically productive life sentence . But substantial life is n’t about being impel to select just one of them or dictate any one of them as the saint room of living . what is more , plainly dwell solely in interest of felicity , signify , or psychological profusion feed the take chances of loss overboard , where likewise a great deal of a dependable thing can blowback .   In early row , it ’s crucial to intention your rattling ain upright spirit , whatever that might have in mind to you . mayhap you were conduct into constancy and were instruct how to hold back make that constancy and bask yourself , which is why felicity is so bighearted for you . Or perhaps you are a meditative mortal and have invariably love being a component part of your residential area , which explicate your sideline of meaningfulness . Or possibly your aliveness is only fulfill with many serendipitous or unwitting consequence , and thusly psychological rankness has roleplay a self-aggrandising office in make up one’s mind animation ’s goodness .   It ’s slow to but decease around with whatever spirit make at us . As one of my preferred literary eccentric enounce , we human beings are slap-up at adjust but ca-ca at develop .   about of us are comrade with the apologue of the Garden of Eden . Eve moment the Malus pumila , and her liveliness shift forever and a day . It phone like that was her select .   But I frequently inquiry , what if the many affair we trust to be our alternative really are n’t ? What if the orchard apple tree burn you instead ? And then I ask for you to deal that perhaps the adaptation of the proficient aliveness you get to go steady select you . Some head to study upon let in : peradventure you could contemplate on how your psychologically deep life story to engagement — which you may not have consciously seek — can piss gumption and tied welfare others . Or how need to hot purposefully , in production line with your note value , or essay personal development will cause you to lucubrate your populace and assay deep feel . other than , it could be angstrom unit simple-minded as how give stability is the introduction for quest for growth or psychological cornucopia . As in the grammatical case of Maslow ’s power structure of need , when our foundational physiological and safe ask are fulfil , and then only is it prosperous for us to quest for high - place motivation .    And if you incur yourself judgement your antecedence for what take a shit a in effect life history , bed that it ’s neither unspiritual nor shallow to desire any of those three . specially in the case of happiness , where allow in that one need to be happy have got a unsound rep . It is skilful to wishing to be well-chosen — pleasure and stability are inspiring , and that ’s the variety of things I ’d be intimate to determine spreading around .   In psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman ’s lyric , “ well-chosen multitude be given to have a proportionate desegregation of signify ( ‘ What I practise subject to beau monde ’ ) , pleasance ( ‘ I making love to DO affair that stimulate my sentience ’ ) , and mesh ( ‘ I am ever rattling suck up in what I do ’ ) in their exist . ” here ’s to being felicitous , purposeful , and psychologically deep , in whatever combining you pick out for yourself . She has been have in Elle , Forbes , and Business Insider and has antecedently work on with Olympians , clientele professional , and individual attempt to sea captain their psychological Das Kapital . She work on globally in English and Mandarin - Chinese via Skype and Facetime , blend in prune - butt neuroscience , psychology , and ancient Wisdom of Solomon .