Separating belief in meaning of life from the personal experience of meaning in life: Different relations with religiosity and well-being

We investigate whether belief in the meaning of life (that life as such has meaning) and the psychological experience of meaning in one's own life constitute distinct empirical constructs; We also aim to clarify how we should define this belief. To this aim, we develop the Belief in the Meaning of Life Questionnaire (BiMoLQ) in Study 1 ( N = 315), confirming its factor structure, psychometric properties, and validity in Studies 2 ( N = 285) and 3 ( N = 436). Overall, the results confirm that meaning of life and meaning in life are distinct constructs. Studies 1 and 2 show that the former is more related to religiosity and spirituality, while the latter is more related to well-being and emotional experiences. Study 3 suggests that directly manipulating the presence of meaning of life and meaning in life in fictional scenarios differently impacts both constructs. We conclude that future research on the role of meaning in human psychology should differentiate these constructs, as they are conceptually and empirically separate, and that the belief in the meaning of life might play a unique role within individuals' mental life. • Belief in the meaning of life (BMOL) and experience of life's meaning (MIL) are distinct constructs. • BMOL is more strongly associated with religiosity and spirituality than MIL. • MIL is more strongly related to several well-being indicators than BMOL. • BMOL can be measured through our five-item questionnaire. • Future studies should avoid conflating these two distinct realities.