Ordinary routines make life feel more meaningful

People rated their lives as more meaningful in the moments they were doing something routine.

The study

In two studies, people were asked about what they were doing and how meaningful life felt at moments throughout their days. The more routine the current activity was, the more meaningful life felt in that moment, beyond other meaningful features of the activity such as relationships or goals. The second study took place during the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the link was even stronger there.

Starting small

The everyday things you repeat are part of what gives a day its shape. Noticing them, even briefly in a journal entry, can make that sense of meaning easier to see.