Tiredness of Life - Conceptualizing a Complex Phenomenon
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Updated: Jun 19, 2025

Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
Published on: August 8, 2019
Judith E Appel1,2, Els van Wijngaarden3, Jessie Dezutter1
1Meaning Research Late Life Lab, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, University of Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Abstract:
A phenomenon referred to as 'tiredness of life' or 'weariness of life' appears in current discussions on the legitimacy of euthanasia for relatively healthy older adults as well as in research on suicidality more broadly. However, a consensus conceptualization of the phenomenon is lacking. In the current paper, we offer such a conceptualization by reviewing and integrating knowledge from terminology, available descriptions, and first qualitative findings. Boredom with life, aversion towards life, meaninglessness, and fatigue are identified as central components of the phenomenon. Per component, we describe how the component was identified, our definition of the component and its foundation in descriptions in the literature, and empirical studies on how the component relates to euthanasia requests and suicidality. Moreover, hypotheses on the structure of the phenomenon are outlined, such as on interactions among and the importance of the different components.
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