What Makes Life Meaningful For Theists And Atheists?

Meaning in life is a predictor of psychological and physical health, and religiosity has long been associated with meaning. However, little is known about how theists and atheists compare regarding their views on what gives life meaning. We conducted a study to explore similarities and differences between atheists and theists on perceived sources of meaning in life as well as overall perceptions of meaning. Participants responded to a writing prompt, and then their responses were analyzed by trained coders. Although both groups mentioned interpersonal relationships more than any other source of meaning, theists were more likely to reference social (e.g., relationships, parenting) and religious sources of meaning, whereas atheists were more likely to describe their lives as having no meaning and to mention sources of meaning that were not captured by the coded categories. Finally, theists scored significantly higher than atheists on the presence of meaning in life and the need for meaning but not on the search for meaning.