The Mood Booster Podcast

43. Searching for Your Life’s Meaning: Reflecting on Purpose

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The Home of Wellbeing and Joy 

Welcome to Episode 43 of The Mood Booster Podcast. In this episode, we slow things down and explore one of the most fundamental human questions there is: purpose. What gives life meaning, especially during times of suffering, uncertainty, or emotional pain? 

We centre this conversation around the work of Viktor Frankl, psychiatrist, Holocaust survivor, and founder of logotherapy. Frankl believed that the primary human drive is not happiness or pleasure, but meaning. When we have a why to live for, he argued, we can endure almost any how. 

We unpack Frankl’s core ideas about purpose, including why meaning does not remove pain but makes pain more tolerable, and why purpose is often found through responsibility rather than passion. We explore his reframing of the purpose question, shifting from what do I want from life to what does life expect from me. 

From there, we discuss Frankl’s three pathways to meaning through creation, experience, and attitude, and why even when control is stripped away, our capacity to choose our response remains. We also talk about why the modern pressure to find your passion can leave people feeling broken, and why purpose often emerges after commitment, not before it. 

Alongside theory, we bring in empirical research showing how a strong sense of purpose is associated with lower depression, lower anxiety, and reduced risk of all cause mortality over time. This episode is reflective, grounding, and designed for anyone feeling lost, flat, or pressured to have life figured out. 

🎧 In this episode, we reflect on 

  • Why purpose is psychologically protective 
    • Viktor Frankl and the foundations of logotherapy 
      • Meaning as a why rather than a feeling 
        • Responsibility versus passion in finding purpose 
          • The three routes to meaning through creation, experience, and attitude 
            • A powerful therapeutic story about grief and meaning 
              • Why suffering becomes more bearable when it has context 
                • What research shows about purpose, depression, anxiety, and longevity 

                  • 🛠 Practical Advice for Listeners 

                  • Stop asking what is my purpose and ask who needs me right now 
                    • Use the three sources of meaning check when life feels flat 
                      • Borrow purpose during difficult seasons rather than searching for a lifelong mission 
                        • Separate purpose from pressure and productivity 
                          • Remember that small responsibilities done with care still count 

                            • This episode is about reframing purpose as something lived rather than found. Something chosen day by day, rooted in responsibility, connection, and meaning. 

                            📍 Pillars Explored: 

                            Introspection and Inspiration, Presence and Gratitude, Wellbeing and Joy 

                            📚 References Cited in This Episode 

                            • Alimujiang, A., Wiensch, A., Boss, J., Fleischer, N. L., Mondul, A. M., McLean, K., Mukherjee, B., & Pearce, C. L. (2019). Association between life purpose and mortality among US adults older than 50 years. JAMA Network Open, 2(5), e194270. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.4270  
                              • Boreham, I. D., & Schutte, N. S. (2023). The relationship between purpose in life and depression and anxiety: A meta‐analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 79(12), 2736–2767. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23576  
                                • Frankl, V. E. (2004). Man’s search for meaning: The Classic Tribute to Hope from the Holocaust. Random House. 

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                                  🌍 Website: www.themoodbooster.co.uk 

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                                  The Mood Booster PodcastBy Charlie and Marcus