Finding connections makes life more meaningful

From research by Samanthan Heintzelman:

Experiencing connections, regularities, and coherence in their environment may lead people to feel a greater sense of meaning in life

Participants taking an online survey looked at nature photographs that showed at least one tree and included indicators of the season, such as blossoms, greenery, fall color, and snow. After viewing the photos, they answered questions designed to measure their sense of meaning in life, such as “My life has a clear sense of purpose” and “I have found a really significant meaning in my life.” They also rated their current mood.

The data revealed that participants who saw the photographs in the natural order of the seasons reported greater meaning in life than those who viewed the photos in a random order.

But the relationship wasn’t limited to natural patterns. Even when participants saw the photographs in an arbitrary seasonal pattern — for example, autumn, summer, spring, winter — they reported greater meaning in life than those who saw them in a completely random order.

In my (biased, of course) experience, this has been one of the most enjoyable outcomes of using note.garden: finding patterns and unexpected connections between the things I’m learning about.