our philosophy
We believe everyone has the potential to cultivate a sense of purpose. Thus, we hope to contribute to a sturdy foundation of scientific evidence, measurement, and evidence-informed programs that informs understanding of – and hopefully incorporation – of it in people’s lives.
Specifically, we design studies to test basic and theory-informed questions, such as those that consider purpose as a predictor of happiness and hope, positive mood, and greater willingness to engage in healthy behaviors, and the like. Yet, we also conduct more intricate studies, such as those investigating whether purpose serves as resource capable of influencing how, and under which conditions, daily events relate to wellbeing. Across several studies we have tested whether and under what conditions having a sense of purpose is protective when people confront stress and challenge. Our findings show that purpose can buffer or eliminate negative moods that arise when people report everyday hassles, navigate socially diverse settings, or confront physically challenging or daunting obstacles.
As an interesting twist on this work, we have also examined whether the benefits of purpose extend beyond staving off negative reactions to stress, and also help curtail extreme positive feelings that arise when good things happen, such as an uplifting everyday experience or receiving positive feedback on social media.
In current work, we are trying to more precisely understand the kinds of experiences and settings that are most likely to seed purpose. That is, what opportunities and in which environments is a sense of purpose most likely to emerge? If purpose is an important resource for people, then it is important to be able to more clearly point to the things and places that give rise to it.
Importantly, our lab is always interested in translating the results of our studies for the benefit of our partners and other stakeholders. Working closely with the New York state 4-H program, we are testing the effectiveness of a brief purpose-writing intervention designed to deepens youths’ engagement with, motivation for, and learning of new information. We are also currently working to make a mobile app that presents a digital version of this writing task is available to the public for free. Building on recent research suggesting that purpose aids learning, we hope to better understand the extent to which considering one’s purpose can enrich their capacity to utilize the experiential learning opportunities afforded by 4H, and other youth-serving organizations
PIP lab origin story
I established the Purpose and Identity Process Lab is intended to be a setting for meaningful connections between people and their ideas about who we are and where we are headed.
We realize that not all questions about purpose or identity await research or scientific discovery. Sometimes just thinking about who one is or where one is heading is important, fun, or interesting without formal evidence or data. But other times, we might want to know if our ideas about these things actually hold true beyond our opinions. In such cases, we use scientific tools for providing reliable and generalizable answers that displace opinion with evidence. In this lab, we want to better understand how having a sense of purpose and identity shape – and often enhance – people’s everyday lives. Thus, we strive to apply sound scientific methods to draw stronger inferences about these resources, and accept the (sometimes slow) pace at which such inferences emerge.
While seeking answers, we also recognize the contribution that is made when we end up asking better questions than those we started with. I’ve witnessed students transform questions they’ve casually raised during lab meetings into formalized projects, conference presentations, and publications. Likewise, some of my most enduring and stubborn beliefs about purpose have been scrutinized and drastically reshaped by other lab members who questioned the assumptions underlying them. Real learning lives in these exchanges – good things happen we are encouraged and feel comfortable enough to ask questions. As principal investigator of this lab, I
know we are at our best when we prioritize open and honest dialogue, creative and rigorous inquiry, and collective ownership and accountability for the work we do.
At times, our lab focuses on iterative and programmatic investigation of a single topic. At other times, we explore emergent and interesting topics that captivate enough of us to look into then. This flexibility invites innovative and inclusive participation from anyone who willing to articulate a question they want answered. In this way, anyone interested in our work can contribute or collaborate – as long as we have space around the table!
A final note:
I’ve not yet read the perfect study, nor have I met the perfect researchers. I’ve not seen any perfect experiments or surveys, and I’m unaware of any perfect datasets (though, I have seen some stunning visualizations of imperfect data!). I say this because I do not believe the promise of research is actualized through perfection, but through serious, persistent effort, and a willingness to be wrong. Making mistakes or an occasional mess at our table is okay! As long as we are open and honest about what we were trying to do when the mistake was made and figure out how to do better the next time. Science is iterative, and even mistakes and missteps can lead to important insights – and sometimes even major successes.