In surprising new study, researchers find hope — not happiness — is key to a meaningful life

In surprising new study, researchers find hope — not happiness — is key to a meaningful life

In surprising new study, researchers find hope — not happiness — is key to a meaningful life Sometimes, hope can have a reputation for being a symptom of wishful thinking, or an unserious pursuit of positivity.  But according to a new study from the University of Missouri, hope is a powerful emotional force that may even be more essential to our well-being than happiness or gratitude. A team of researchers, led by Megan Edwards and Laura King from the university’s Department of Psychological Sciences, decided to pursue a study outside of the field’s existing belief that hope is tied only to goal-setting and motivation.  The reseachers set out to prove that hope was a meaningful emotion. Photo courtesy of Ricky Esquivel/Pexels “Our research shifts the perspective on hope from merely a cognitive process related to goal attainment to recognizing it as a vital emotional experience that enriches life’s meaning,” said Edwards, who earned a doctorate at Mizzou and is now a postdoctoral researche…