The role of temporal distancing on the sense of meaning in life among individuals experiencing daily stressors
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Temporal distancing enhances meaning in life, even during stress. Shifting to a distant future perspective may reduce meaning-seeking but boosts overall meaning presence.
Area Of Science
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background
- Temporal distancing can improve meaning in life.
- This effect's impact on individuals experiencing high stress and the distinction between near and distant perspectives remain unclear.
Purpose Of The Study
- To investigate temporal distancing's effect on meaning-search and meaning-presence in individuals with moderate-to-high stress.
- To differentiate the impact of near-future versus distant-future perspectives.
Main Methods
- Recruited participants (N=972) with unresolved moderate-to-high stressors.
- Employed a pre-test/post-test design with random assignment to near-future or distant-future conditions (n=129).
Main Results
- Temporal distancing increased meaning-presence in both near and distant future conditions.
- Meaning-search scores decreased in the distant-future condition but not the near-future condition.
Conclusions
- Temporal distancing can be a coping strategy for individuals facing significant stressors.
- It helps maintain a balanced sense of meaning in life, with differential effects on meaning-search versus meaning-presence based on temporal perspective.
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