Editor’s note: Our community at MeaningSphere is built on a shared belief: meaning at work matters. But what we find meaningful is different for each of us. In that spirit, we offer the following reflection from Keith Lewish, one of MeaningSphere’s founding advisors. The views expressed here are the author’s own. By showcasing diverse viewpoints on our blog, we aim to spark curiosity, reflection, and dialogue about how each of us finds and creates meaning.
If you’ve been in the world of work for a while, you probably know the difference between meaningful and meaningless work.
Meaningless work is often frustrating, demoralizing, or simply pointless: it changes nothing, is ignored, discarded, or never implemented. In the end, it makes no difference whether it was done or not—the report goes unread; the project is cancelled before completion; the product sits on the shelf and never sells.
Meaningful work, on the other hand, is energizing. It may allow us to exercise our skills, make a positive impact, and feel connected to something bigger than ourselves. We may experience meaning when we see the products of our work used, applied, appreciated, and valued. In some large or small way, meaningful work changes the world, and by doing so it validates the person who did it.
In short: meaningful work gratifies and sustains us, while meaningless work leaves us cold. It’s tempting to assume a causal relationship between the degree of meaning we experience and our overall happiness. Surely, the more meaningful our work is, the happier we will be—right? In fact, the relationship between the two is not so simple.
Unpacking meaning and happiness
Work without meaning is a waste of time, energy, and resources, both personal and social. Since our lives consist of time, wasting time is essentially wasting life, and no one wants to waste their life. When repeated enough, meaningless work can lead to despair. This is the curse of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, condemned to the pointless task of pushing a boulder uphill only to have it roll down again once it reaches the top. It’s a pointless expenditure of time and effort that never ends. This exemplifies human futility and a wasted life.
If we consider happiness and unhappiness for what they are—temporary psychological states—it’s easy to see how meaningless work can cause unhappiness and a feeling of futility. Conversely, meaningful work can foster a sense of achievement, engagement, and overall happiness. The question then is: can someone be happy without meaningful work? Without making a difference? Without contributing to society? Maybe the hermit finds happiness in his solitude, but many would see it as a pathological existence, since humans are naturally social beings.
If we want to understand how meaningful work makes a difference in our lives, it is important to draw a distinction between meaningful/meaningless work and pleasant/unpleasant work. Pleasure is often seen as an essential component of happiness, but meaningful work may involve a lot of unpleasant tasks. The human predicament is such that we end up in a situation where we desire happiness but need meaning in order to get it, and obtaining meaning may involve a certain amount of unhappiness. We can think of this as the paradox of happiness.
Reconciling the happiness paradox at work
There are many examples of people who do unpleasant jobs but who also derive satisfaction from their work because they create value for others. Firefighters, police, and military personnel are often involved in unpleasant, if not dangerous situations that they endure in order to achieve what they and others value—for example, safety, peace, and social order.
Some workplaces are unpleasant in less obvious ways. Hostile work environments, petty conflicts, prejudice, and office politics can create a psychologically harmful workplace. However, employees are willing to tolerate some physical or psychological discomfort because they understand the importance of their work to themselves and others.
This is not to suggest that work has to be unpleasant to be meaningful. Most work in modern societies is conducted in conditions that are at least minimally safe, clean, and emotionally tolerable. In many instances, employers go out of their way to foster a pleasant work environment, offering perks like free food and drinks. However, such amenities do not guarantee, nor necessarily contribute to, the work being meaningful or even productive.
Most people naturally recognize the paradox of happiness and accept it as a fact of life. They are willing to endure some hardship to earn a living and achieve a certain level of success. They are rewarded for their efforts and use their compensation to participate in the economy, buy a level of comfort outside of work, and gain respectability.
However, many people would sacrifice a significant amount of pay for more meaningful work. This shows that salary alone isn’t enough; people need more than money, they need meaning and purpose. The reason for this is that work is a central part of modern identity—what one does largely defines who one is—and identity suffers if work is meaningless. We all want to make a difference and lead better lives. Creating meaning in work is one way to do this.
