This post was co-authored by Shontae Cameron and Robert T. Muller, Ph.D.

“When my husband died, I was overwhelmed with emotion. There was this intense amount of fear that death would strike again—that something might happen to me or my children. I began to worry about everything, including the meaning of life.”

A young widow and mother of five, Mary (name changed for anonymity), reflects on her early experience of grief following the death of her spouse. She vividly recalls the discomfort she felt around reminders and thoughts of death, which led her to question life’s purpose.

In a world where mortality is inevitable, many individuals grapple with intense emotions, including existential crises—a period of deep reflection about one’s purpose, often triggered by events such as loss, trauma, or the awareness of mortality. These crises often lead people to seek meaning and comfort in various ways, including through the pursuit of high-status goods.

This desire to find significance in life can manifest in a range of behaviors, particularly........

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