Place attachment fosters meaning in ecologically valid settings — ASN Events

Place attachment fosters meaning in ecologically valid settings (#124)

Ashley N Krause 1
  1. University of Florida, Alachua, FL, United States

Can place attachment act as a source of existential value? Recalling places of attachment generates greater meaning in life and coherence when tested in experimental lab settings. Do these results also generalize to everyday life? To find out, we conducted an experience sampling study to test whether participants report higher meaning in life when they were actually in places they are (or not) attached to. 250 college students first completed baseline measures of place attachment and well-being, including rating their place attachment to common locations (e.g., home, campus). Next, for one week, participants received texts four times a day between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. At each timepoint, participants provided a photograph of their current surroundings and reported their current location. They then reported meaning in life, coherence, purpose, significance, and place attachment. We predict that participants will report higher meaning in life in locations to which they are more securely attached, and that these feelings will be mediated by a higher sense of coherence. 

 

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