Dear Colleagues,

Recent years have seen notable changes in the science and practice of mental health. Traditionally formulated in terms of psychological disorders, the new thinking has focused on diverse aspects of well-being. Key among these new directions have been studies of purposeful life engagement and the pursuit of meaningful lives. This Special Issue seeks to deepen and broaden work in these areas. One route of expansion is to bring greater attention to the life domains (work, family, community, civic engagement) in which experiences of purpose and meaning are nurtured, or possibly undermined. Another direction is to bring greater emphasis to surrounding social structural contexts, such as socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, cultural background, surrounding physical environments. How do these contextual influences matter for purpose and meaning? Growing science has linked purpose in life to health, defined as increased longevity, reduced risk of disease, better physiological regulation, brain-based assessments of emotion regulation, and gene expression. These also constitute promising areas of expansion—for whom do these effects occur? Under what conditions? In what contexts? From the perspective of application, key questions pertain to whether purpose and meaning are modifiable. Can these aspects of well-being be cultivated, including among those who do not typically have such experiences? What interventions have been shown to have impact and in what domains? Finally, there is merit in revisiting the theoretical and conceptual foundations of purpose and meaning to illuminate how such ideas intersect with critical humanism and commitments to address major societal challenges, such as climate change, growing inequality, and the pandemic.

Prof. Dr. Carol D. Ryff
Guest Editor
Andrew Soren
Co-Guest Editor

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• purposeful life engagement
• meaningful living
• life domains
• social and environmental contexts
• longevity
• disease risk
• physiological regulation
• brain mechanisms
• gene expression
• interventions
• theory
• philosophy
• societal change