What are you chasing in life: Happiness or Meaning ?

We always chase for happiness, isn't it? People often pursue the paths or ways to be happy, thinking that happiness is the result of success. I used to think the same way that being happy is the greatest way to thank our life that gave us the opportunity to deal with the things which make us happy. However, there is something we need to understand, which is leading a meaningful life.

I accidentally looked at the article today about being happy and being meaningful. I never thought there would be much better thinking towards pursuing a meaningful life.

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The people who tried to feel happy ended up unhappier after the experiment than those who listened without trying to boost their mood. In another recent study, Iris Mauss of Berkeley and her colleagues found that people who highly value happiness — as measured by their endorsement of statements like “Feeling happy is very important to me” — reported feeling lonelier on a daily basis, as assessed in diary entries over two weeks. By contrast, the pursuit of meaning leads to a deeper and more lasting form of well-being. Source

Even this happened to me when I was young. I was chasing for a victory in a test that offers me great career options. Unfortunately, I could not crack that even after multiple attempts. I was worried and devastated again and again when I see the score online. Now, I understood that I learned a colossal amount of knowledge through preparing for tests. I was better than I was before the tests. So there is a meaning of studying right. It does help me in other ways though.

When people say their lives are meaningful, it’s because they feel their lives have purpose, coherence, and worth Source

You might be wondering why I am saying meaning and happiness are different. Of course, it is different as the main difference here is while happiness stands only for few minutes or hours, meaning, on the other hand, be with you forever. It is conspicuously seen that success or an ideal job would never bring you meaning, yet it propounds you happiness.
I think chasing happiness would lead you to depression even more. I am not saying that you should not create goals or dreams. But I believe, you have already noticed in your life that the more you chase for happiness, the more you suffer. Rather chase for meaning. Study to get informed and get knowledgeable but not for marks or scores. This will eventually lead you to the better career.

According to psychologists, the suicide rate is dramatically augmenting over the specific period of time. This happens when one chose to chase happiness. Being meaningful make the people more resilient and stronger as they know they are not expecting certain results and they know that how their future is going to be progressed.