Top Highlights

• things that give us a sense of meaning don’t necessarily make us happy.
• We care deeply about meaning, we care about it more as we become aware of our own mortality—
• “If Sisyphus were pushing his rock up a new hill every time, he would have a sense of progress. But because he keeps pushing the same rock up the same hill over and over, his work is completely meaningless.”
• These results show that when we are acknowledged for our work, we are willing to work harder for less pay, and when we are not acknowledged, we lose much of our motivation.
• Acknowledgment is a kind of human magic—a small human connection, a gift from one person to another that translates into a much larger, more meaningful outcome. On the positive side, these results also show that