A Psychologically Rich Life: Beyond Happiness and Meaning

On August 17, 2022, Dr. Shige Oishi and our own Dr. Erin Westgate were awarded the Wegner Theoretical Innovation Prize for their phenomenon publication: A psychologically rich life: Beyond happiness and meaning. This award recognizes the work of authors who have been viewed as providing the most innovative theoretical contribution to social and personality psychology within a given year.

In the present work, Dr. Oishi and Dr. Westgate propose a new, distinct conceptualization of what people consider a good life: psychological richness. Supported by empirical evidence, the authors argue that happiness, meaning, and psychological richness are all related but separate aspects of a good life. A psychologically rich life is characterized by a variety of interesting and perspective-changing experiences. Throughout their study, the authors indicate that psychological richness is an influential characteristic of what people think a good life should feature, and a number of people were seen to have chosen a psychologically rich life over a happy or meaningful life. 

Are there people who are more inclined to live a psychologically rich life? Is psychological richness good for us? How did the researchers distinguish psychological richness as a category? To find the answers to these questions, as well as more vital information on the good life, click here to read the article!