Meaning in Life

This pivotal chapter marks the transition from discussing what religion is (i.e., the core components of religion) to a discussion of what religion does (i.e., how religion affects health specifically). Meaning in life performs this vital bridging function. This function is explored in three sections: (1) issues in the measurement of meaning in life are examined first, (2) then an overview of the elements of religious life that promote a sense of meaning are examined (the virtues of forgiveness, compassion, and beneficence figure prominently in this respect), and (3) a submodel is proposed that provides further insight into why a sense of meaning in life is so critical.