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Meaning and absorption · Lesson 8 of 11

Strengths and Meaning: Using What You Do Best

See how using your strengths and knowing your values can make days feel more worthwhile, what the research can and can't promise, and how to start.

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THE WRITTEN LESSONFollow along at your pace

Doing what you are good at, and what matters to you, can make ordinary days feel more worthwhile. In this lesson you will see how to find your strengths and your values, and what the research can and can’t promise.

Find your strengths

A free online survey ranks 24 character strengths, like curiosity, kindness, humor and perseverance. It takes 10 to 15 minutes. Read your results in rough bands, top, middle and lower, and not as an exact ranking, because neighboring strengths are often close.

Three stacked bands labeled Top with three filled dots, Middle with five pale dots and Lower with four empty dots. Labels beside them read Neighbours are close and Not an exact ranking.(opens the full-size picture)
Think in bands: top, middle and lower.

Use one in a new way

In trials, people who used a top strength in a new way each day for a week became a little happier. But using a lesser strength, or even a placebo exercise, sometimes worked about as well. A placebo exercise is a task meant to feel like an activity without the key ingredient. So treat your results as prompts, not a recipe.

Seven boxes from Day 1 to Day 7, each with a star. Below, a chart titled Happiness after a week shows bars for Top strength, Lesser strength and Placebo, all close in height. A compass is labeled Prompts, not a recipe.(opens the full-size picture)
All three bars are close, so use the survey as a prompt.

Small effects

Reviews find small effects for strengths exercises, and smaller still once weaker studies are accounted for. That is still worth having, as long as you expect a nudge, not a transformation.

A bar chart titled How big the effect is. The bar for Strengths exercises is taller than the bar labeled After stricter checks, which has a magnifier above it. A label reads A nudge, not a transformation, beside a small plant in a pot.(opens the full-size picture)
The effect shrinks under stricter checks, but it does not vanish.

Know your values

Values work quietly in the background until two of them pull in different directions, like family time and extra work. So look for your values in hard choices you have made. Then rank them by forcing trade-offs, and write down why each one matters to you.

A person at a signpost with two arrows, Family time pointing left and Extra work pointing right. Beside it, three ticked steps: Look at hard choices, Rank by trade-offs, and Write why it matters.(opens the full-size picture)
Hard choices show you what you value most.

Purpose is not one calling

Psychologists describe a sense of purpose as a life aim that steers your effort. Most people have several small purposes, not one grand calling: family, work, a garden. Having a purpose goes with more life satisfaction, though the research cannot prove that finding one will make you happier.

A compass labeled A life aim that steers effort, with dashed arrows to three things: a family, a person working at a desk and a garden. A card reading Purpose equals one grand calling is crossed out in red, and a label says Linked, not proven.(opens the full-size picture)
Several small purposes are normal.

Build it in small steps

Purpose often grows from effort over time. Notice what absorbs you, check it against your values, test it with small experiments, and add a way to help other people. Then review it every few months.

Five numbered steps under the title Purpose grows from effort over time: 1 Notice what absorbs you, 2 Check your values with a compass, 3 Small experiments with a flask, 4 Help others with a hand and a heart, and 5 Review every few months with a calendar.(opens the full-size picture)
Five steps, repeated every few months.

YOUR TURN

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Read the full lesson script

In this lesson, you'll see how using your strengths and knowing what matters to you can make ordinary days feel more worthwhile, and what the research can and can't promise.

A free online survey ranks twenty-four character strengths, like curiosity, kindness, humour and perseverance. It takes ten to fifteen minutes. Read your results in rough bands, top, middle and lower, not as an exact ranking, because neighbouring strengths are often close.

In trials, people who used a top strength in a new way each day for a week became a little happier. But using a lesser strength, or even a placebo exercise, sometimes worked about as well. So treat your results as prompts, not a recipe.

Reviews find small effects for strengths exercises, and smaller still once weaker studies are accounted for. That's still worth having, as long as you expect a nudge, not a transformation.

Values work quietly in the background until two of them pull in different directions. So look for your values in hard choices you've made. Then rank them by forcing trade-offs, and write down why each one matters to you.

Psychologists describe a sense of purpose as a life aim that steers your effort. Most people have several small purposes, not one grand calling. Having a purpose goes with more life satisfaction, though the research can't prove that finding one will make you happier.

Purpose often grows from effort over time. Notice what absorbs you, check it against your values, test it with small experiments, and add a way to help other people. Then review it every few months.

So remember: use a strength in a new way, and expect a nudge, not a miracle. Find your values in your hard choices. And grow purpose in small steps. Before the next lesson, pick one of your strengths and use it in a new way this week. Next, you'll see how getting absorbed in what you do lifts your days.