Meaning and attention intertwined: Experimental and experience-sampling findings

How does one attain meaning? This age-old question is pivotal to well-being, yet its exploration has been predominantly within the symbolic and philosophic domains. A cognitive approach to this inquiry remains largely unexplored. Here, we propose that paying attention is a process through which one constructs and perceives meaning. In turn, meaning captures and sustains attention. Synthesizing relevant theories and empirical findings, we present a theoretical integration of meaning and attention, hypothesizing their relationship to be bi-directional and causal. Five studies (total N = 1,654) investigated this hypothesis in everyday life and lab experiments. A one-week experience-sampling study first shows a positive association between meaning and attention, evident at dispositional, situational and cross-levels (Study 1). Participants reported a higher sense of meaning when they paid more attention, a within-person effect consistently observed across varied daily activities. A series of experiments then investigated the directionality and causality of their relationship. Meaning was found to causally increase attention (Studies 2 & 4). Attention causally increased meaning, but only when meaning could be found in a stimulus (Studies 3a, 3b & 4). In these studies, we further explored the interplay of meaning and attention with boredom, negative emotions, and subjective well-being. Overall, our research shows that meaning and attention are closely intertwined, providing valuable insights into enhancing them in everyday life.