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Hope is the key to a meaningful life, according to new research // Show Me Mizzou // University of Missouri

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University of Missouri researchers demonstrate that boosting hope could be a game-changer for mental health and resilience. By Eric Stann June 18, 2025 Contact: Eric Stann, StannE@missouri.edu Hope isn’t just wishful thinking — it’s a powerful emotional force that gives our lives meaning. Now, a new groundbreaking study from the University of Missouri shows it may be even more essential to well-being than happiness or gratitude. For years, psychology has tied hope to goal-setting and motivation. But a team of researchers led by Megan Edwards and Laura King from Mizzou’s Department of Psychological Sciences is challenging that idea, showing that hope stands apart as one of the strongest positive emotions that directly fosters a sense of meaning. "Our research shifts the perspective on hope from merely a cognitive process related to goal attainment to recognizing it as a vital emotional experience that enriches life's meaning," said Edwards, who earned a doctorate at Mizzou and is now a

By Eric Stann Adobe Stock June 18, 2025 Contact: Eric Stann, StannE@missouri.edu Hope isn’t just wishful thinking — it’s a powerful emotional force that gives our lives meaning. Now, a new groundbreaking study from the University of Missouri shows it may be even more essential to well-being than happiness or gratitude. For years, psychology has tied hope to goal-setting and motivation. But a team of researchers led by Megan Edwards and Laura King from Mizzou’s Department of Psychological Sciences is challenging that idea, showing that hope stands apart as one of the strongest positive emotions

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