We live in the age of purpose. Everything pushes us to find our passion, discover our mission in life, and try to ensure that every decision we make has deep meaning. However, there comes a point where this search for purpose can backfire.
A study conducted at the University of Bristol suggests that people who feel their lives already have meaning are less at risk of suffering from burnout, but those who are constantly searching for that meaning tend to show a higher level of psychological exhaustion.
When the search for answers becomes a way of life
Seeking meaning isn’t inherently wrong; the problem arises when that search ceases to be a path and becomes a permanent state. Some people never feel they’ve arrived, so they constantly change jobs hoping to find the “right” one, break up and start new relationships searching for their soulmate, move to different cities, take multiple personal development or spirituality courses… but the feeling of emptiness returns time and time again.
The difference lies in the fact that these people aren’t just seeking to improve their lives; they’re searching for meaning in everything because they want absolutely everything to have an explanation. And that level of expectation ends up being exhausting in the long run, besides being utopian because not all the experiences we have come with an enlightening message, and often they don’t even have a proper ending or an explanation that allows us to give them meaning.
When we turn purpose into an obligation, uncertainty ceases to be a normal part of life and we begin to experience it as a problem that we must solve as soon as possible. Then we can fall into a loop of endless questions: “Am I doing the right thing?” “What if this job wasn’t my true calling?” or “What if I’m wasting my life?”
Paradoxically, the more we seek an absolute answer, the harder it is to find inner peace. A person can feel quite satisfied with their life and still continue exploring. One doesn’t exclude the other. In fact, purpose usually doesn’t appear when we’re directly searching for it, but rather while we’re busy living.
Meaning arises when we care for someone, engage in a project, discover a new passion, or build a meaningful relationship. This means that purpose is often a consequence, not an abstract starting point.
However, when all our attention is focused on discovering that grand meaning, we’re likely to stop paying attention to the small experiences that, paradoxically, could build it. It’s like trying to sleep by straining to fall asleep. The harder you try, the harder it becomes and the more frustrated you’ll get.
The hidden relationship between the search for purpose and burnout
The study in question followed more than a thousand professionals, primarily healthcare and social services workers, in the UK and Ireland for three years as they faced the pandemic on the front lines. The researchers observed that those who perceived a greater sense of purpose in their lives showed fewer signs of emotional exhaustion and a greater sense of efficacy.
In contrast, those immersed in this search for meaning tended to exhibit higher levels of burnout. The reason? If each workday also becomes an existential exam, the exhaustion multiplies because it’s no longer enough to simply do our job well; we also need that work to justify who we are.
This problem stems (at least in part) from the idea that we should work on what we are passionate about. And, while this is a legitimate goal, it can also generate enormous pressure.
If we believe that our job should fulfill all our psychological needs in terms of identity, purpose, growth, happiness, and personal fulfillment, we will experience any work-related difficulty as an existential crisis. As a result, a bad day ceases to be just a bad day and becomes a sign that we are on the wrong path.
This explains why some people constantly change jobs, projects, or goals without ever finding the satisfaction they seek. The problem doesn’t always lie in the job itself, but rather in the unrealistic expectation that the job will answer their existential questions.
Perhaps you’re looking in the wrong way
One of the most interesting lessons we can learn from this research is that well-being depends less on constantly pursuing a life purpose and more on recognizing all those meaningful things that already exist in our lives.
This implies slightly changing the question, so that instead of asking ourselves the typical: “What is the meaning of my life?”, it might be much more useful to ask ourselves: “What things give meaning to my life right now?”
The difference may seem subtle, but it is enormous on a psychological level because the first approach directs us towards a distant, abstract and possibly unattainable goal, while the second question focuses on everyday experiences.
Perhaps purpose isn’t a hidden treasure, as we often think, but rather a landscape we must learn to appreciate as we journey. Most people who have found meaning aren’t those who demand that every experience have a purpose and explanation, but simply those who have begun to live.
Source:
Sumner, R. C. (2026) The dynamics of meaning in life and their associations with burnout within- and between persons. Journal of Health Psychology; 10.1177.
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