Beyond Happiness and Meaning: The Third Concept for a Good Life
Challenging yourself, overcoming setbacks, and embracing adventure: for many people, this kind of psychological richness defines a good life. Traditionally, most people in search of a good life have looked either for happiness or for meaning. These two paths have been researched for decades and long considered the primary answers to the age-old question of what makes life worth living. But in recent years, psychologists have introduced a third concept: the psychologically rich life.
Shigehiro Oishi and Erin Westgate first explored this idea some time ago and have now studied it in greater depth. A psychologically rich life is characterized by new, challenging, and perspective-shifting experiences. It can be exciting, but also uncomfortable. Such experiences can even emerge from low points in life - moments that lead to new insights or an entirely different life direction.
Over the course of a lifetime, happiness, meaning, and psychological richness are not mutually exclusive. They can alternate, overlap, or complement each other in different life phases. Curious about how people would choose if forced to decide, Oishi and Westgate asked study participants to select just one path. Most opted for a happy life, defined by positive emotions, comfortable routines, and ease. The second most popular was the meaningful life, anchored by values, purpose, and a sense of contribution. Depending on cultural background, however, up to 17% of participants chose a psychologically rich life. The proportion was highest in Europe, while in Asia only about 7% favored psychological richness. To measure it empirically, the researchers developed the Psychological Richness Scale, a validated tool to quantify the degree of psychological richness in life.
Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone
Oishi and Westgate define a psychologically rich life along four dimensions: novelty, complexity, perspective shifts, and a broad emotional spectrum.
Such a life is fueled by curiosity, openness, and adventure. Compared with a happy or meaningful life, it is more strongly associated with trust, big-picture thinking, political tolerance, and liberal worldviews. Those who pursue psychological richness are more likely to embrace new challenges, try out unfamiliar hobbies, say “yes” more often, and thereby encounter unexpected experiences, new people, and fresh insights.
But there is a flip side: seeking variety and complexity can also be overwhelming and stressful. According to Oishi and Westgate, achieving the right balance between exploration and security helps to prevent overload.
Breaking routine and stepping out of the comfort zone requires courage, but it strengthens mental health. The concept also involves reflection. Many study participants reported that they came to live psychologically rich lives through loss, breakups, or crises. Setbacks, they explained, disrupted routines and challenged existing ways of thinking, opening the door to reevaluation and fresh insights.
Turning Setbacks into Life Stories
Psychological richness also lies in how we look back on difficult moments. Painful experiences or failed adventures can become personal “highlights” in memory if they ultimately lead to resilience and growth. Ideally, past struggles transform into vivid stories that give meaning to one’s life narrative: a hardship that sparked personal growth or led to unexpected opportunities. People who identify their lives as psychologically rich often share unusual stories and transformative experiences.
Interestingly, Oishi and Westgate also asked participants about their biggest regrets. Many regrets centered on missed opportunities to turn setbacks into growth. In other words, people often lamented not using life’s disappointments as stepping stones toward psychological richness.
Seeing the Unfamiliar as Opportunity
So how can people cultivate psychological richness? Oishi offered practical advice in an interview with the Washington Post: don’t take yourself too seriously, stay open to new experiences, and look beyond your comfort zone.
Concrete ideas include exploring a different neighborhood, browsing a thrift shop, visiting a second-hand bookstore, taking an unusual class, learning a musical instrument, or simply striking up conversations with strangers. The point is to try things that feel new or even slightly adventurous.
Flexibility is another key. This means leaving space for the unexpected instead of sticking rigidly to routines—ordering something new in a restaurant instead of the usual dish, for instance. In relationships, psychological richness grows when we suspend judgment, listen with genuine curiosity, and welcome unfamiliar perspectives rather than seeing them as threats. According to Oishi, even vicarious experiences, such as reading novels or engaging with music that evokes unfamiliar emotions, can nurture psychological richness.
Reflecting and Documenting Experiences
Documenting experiences also deepens a psychologically rich life. This doesn’t require a full diary, just a few notes. Photographs, or stories shared with others can also serve as anchors for later reflection. Processing setbacks this way turns them into learning opportunities, strengthening resilience. Open conversations in friendships or partnerships about feelings, successes, and losses also play a vital role in cultivating psychological richness.
Long-term studies link psychologically rich lives with greater wisdom, flexibility, and equanimity. People who continually adapt their worldview tend to develop a calmer attitude toward uncertainty. At the same time, psychologically rich lives involve stronger emotional highs and lows, compared with happy lives, which tend to emphasize stronger positive and weaker negative emotions.
Happiness, Meaning, or Richness - Depending on Life Stage
What defines a good life can be highly individual, but cultural and family influences play a major role. The fact that up to 17% of Europeans but only about 7% of Asians chose a psychologically rich life suggests that individualistic cultures foster autonomy and risk-taking, while collectivistic cultures place greater value on social harmony and predictability.
Ultimately, what matters is not the destination but the journey. Depending on life stage, different concepts may take precedence. Happiness is linked with positive feelings, energy, and reduced stress. Meaning offers motivation, strength in crises, and clear values. Psychological richness, in contrast, does not necessarily bring happiness or meaning but promotes growth and mental wealth through diverse perspectives and experiences.
As Oishi and Westgate note, a person who lived primarily for meaning might look back at the end of life and say, “I made a difference.” Someone who lived happily could say, “That was fun, I enjoyed it.” And a person who lived a psychologically rich life might finally smile and say, “Well, that was a journey.”
Sources
Get your weekly dose of good news every Wednesday morning. We'll send you all the new Happy Spot articles with quick summaries, along with the week's top headlines featuring good news worth reading. P
We believe that happiness and good news should be free and accessible, so we don’t have a paywall. If you like this happy spot and want us to going, please consider supporting us. Every dollar means that we can create more happy content, dig deeper and make the internet a little bit better.
Some stories are just too good not to share. Happy Headlines brings you positive news and heartwarming content from around the world, curated directly from other platforms.
Support Happy Spot as member and be part of the community. Get the weekly newsletter. Members will also get exclusive updates on what's coming next to happy-spot.com
Support Happy Spot as gold member and join the community. Get the weekly newsletter. Members will also get exclusive updates on what's coming next to happy-spot.com. As a gold member you will get first access to Happy 42, coming in 2026.
Support Happy Spot as platinum member and be part of the community. Get the weekly newsletter. Members will also get exclusive updates on what's coming next to happy-spot.com. As a platinum member you will get free access to Happy 42, an inspiring 6-week-course coming in 2026.
