Why experts say psychological richness may be the key to a good life when happiness and meaning aren’t enough

What leads to a good life? Most Americans assume it’s success or productivity, said Shigehiro Oishi, happiness expert and professor of psychology at the University of Chicago. But he thinks it’s time for a new path to fulfilment.

On a recent episode of the 10% Happier with Dan Harris podcast, Dr Oishi discussed two popular paths that people believe lead to a good life: happiness and meaning.

“Happiness is really about feeling comfortable, secure and content,” he said. “Meaning in life oftentimes has three components,” he said.

Those components, according to Dr Oishi are feeling that your life matters, sensing that your life is guided by purpose and believing that the roles in your life fit coherently.

While those paths can lead to fulfilment for some, sometimes pursuing them can make people feel trapped, Dr Oishi explained.

“You can maximise your personal success and increase your happiness. Or actually, you can reduce your ambition and increase your overall happiness,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the majority of Americans are only trying to maximise their success,” which can result in the hedonic treadmill where people never feel satisfied with their achievements.

When it comes to meaning, people may connect it to making tangible contributions to society. That can cause them to compare themselves to impactful leaders in history like Dr Martin Luther King Jr or Mother Teresa, and feel like “we’re not equipped enough to have that kind of meaningful life,” Dr Oishi said.

Some people lean into causes that they really believe in and don’t make space for, or support, other causes.

Dr Oishi points to the political climate as an example of the impacts of what can happen as a result of that pursuit of meaning.

To avoid the traps that can come from pursuing those versions of happiness or meaning for a good life, Dr Oishi suggests an alternative path: psychological richness.

“A psychologically rich life is a life filled with interesting, diverse, sort of perspective-changing experiences,” Dr Oishi said. Material richness focuses on money and assets, but “we can substitute that dollar essentially with personal experiences or stories you have”.

You can develop your psychological richness by visiting new places, reading novels, watching new movies often or immersing yourself in new hobbies, he explained.

“Experience some interesting things, but make it a story,” Dr Oishi said. “Writing and talking about it is really important.”

If you’ve picked up a habit of watching intriguing movies, you should discuss them with other people or write reviews to keep the memories embedded in your psychological portfolio, he noted.

Difficult moments like a divorce or a job loss can have negative impacts on happiness, but can lead to net positive effects long-term on psychological richness, he explained. “If you have this psychological richness mindset, what matters is whether you learned something new (or) whether you gained some insight into your life.”

After those experiences, you should also “write and tell,” he suggested. Journaling about the setback can help you to find the silver lining or lesson, and talking about the situation with loved ones can offer you a different perspective.

“A lot of people are struggling to find meaning in their lives or finding true happiness, and they are trying really hard,” Dr Oishi said. “Maybe for them, psychological richness might be actually the type of life they’ve been pursuing.”

View psychological richness as “one more way to a path to a good life, rather than this is the path to a good life”.