Journal of experimental psychology. General
February 1, 2023
Mengdi Huang, Fan Yang
38 citations
Across seven preregistered studies with 1,362 participants, people judged meaningfulness more by benefits to society than by benefits to themselves, whereas judgments of happiness weighed self-benefits equally or more heavily. This pattern held when evaluating jobs, other people's lives, advice, and one's own experiences, though self-benefits played a larger role in first-person meaning judgments than in third-person ones. The findings indicate that meaning perceptions are more self-transcendent than happiness perceptions.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2023
Brian H. Ge, Fan Yang
30 citations
Self-transcendence significantly aids individuals in coping with suffering. It enhances positive emotions, such as awe and compassion, which can overshadow negative feelings like despair. In a review of literature involving over 1,000 participants, self-transcendent thinking provided a broader context for understanding suffering, helping individuals find meaning in their experiences. Additionally, the motivation to pursue self-transcendence can deter unhealthy coping strategies, fostering prosocial behaviors that strengthen social support networks. This framework highlights how embracing a larger perspective can elevate human existence amid adversity.
Cognition & Emotion
February 1, 2023
Yena Kim, Howard C Nusbaum, Fan Yang
22 citations
Experiencing awe and flow significantly enhances moral character by promoting wisdom and humility. In a study with 605 adults, those predisposed to awe and flow demonstrated stronger wise reasoning (up to 30% higher) and greater epistemic humility compared to their happier counterparts. Individuals recalling awe-filled moments showed 25% better wise reasoning, while those experiencing flow exhibited 20% more humility. Interventions inducing awe (nature videos) and flow (music composition) further improved conflict resolution and self-awareness, highlighting the transformative power of self-transcendent experiences in fostering moral growth.
Frontiers in Neuroscience
January 1, 2025
Zuxing Feng, Yanli Li, Ying Cai et al.
2 citations
After effective antidepressant treatment in patients with acute major depressive disorder (MDD), plasma glutamate levels increased while levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-17, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-8) decreased. Greater improvement in cognitive impairment was associated with smaller changes in glycine. Improvements in depressive and anxiety symptoms, reductions in feelings of despair, and alleviation of somatic anxiety symptoms were linked to changes in inflammatory cytokines. These findings suggest that N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-related indicators and inflammatory markers change with effective treatment and may be associated with clinical outcomes.
EXCLI journal
January 1, 2026
Chun-Hua Xu, Bi-Lan Zhang, Chun-Lan Guan et al.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) alleviates anxiety and depression in adolescents and alters their metabolic profiles. In a comparison of 35 adolescents with depression receiving MBCT, 35 receiving conventional treatment, and 30 healthy controls, MBCT significantly improved symptom scores. Metabolomic analysis identified 203 upregulated and 186 downregulated metabolites in the MBCT group. Notably, arachidonic acid levels decreased and were linked to clinical improvement, suggesting involvement in the long-term depression pathway. A combination of five metabolites showed strong potential for predicting MBCT efficacy.
Mengdi Huang, Fan Yang
preprint
People judge meaningful experiences by how much they benefit society, not just themselves. Across 7 preregistered studies with 1,362 participants, benefits to society weighed more heavily than benefits to the self when evaluating the meaning of jobs, other people's lives, and advice. In contrast, happiness judgments weighed benefits to the self similarly to or more than benefits to society. The same pattern appeared in participants' own experiences, though self-benefit played a larger role in first-person meaning judgments than in third-person ones. The findings suggest meaning perceptions are more self-transcendent than happiness perceptions.