Temporal Dynamics Between the Three Dimensions of Meaning in Life and Well-Being among Chinese College Students: Coherence as Prerequisite, Purpose as Connector, and Significance as Outcome

Abstract The three-dimensional model of meaning in life conceptualizes meaning as comprising coherence, purpose, and significance, yet how these components relate to one another over time and how they jointly connect to subjective well-being and global meaning appraisals remains unclear. The present study addresses this gap by applying temporal network analysis to longitudinal data, allowing for a nuanced examination of within-person processes over time. We collected weekly data for 12 weeks from 277 first-year university students and modeled the relationships among the three meaning components, the presence of meaning, the search for meaning, and subjective well-being across three complementary network layers: a within-person temporal (lagged) network, a within-person contemporaneous network, and a between-person network. Our analysis revealed a complex dynamic: coherence initiated predictive pathways toward significance, which functioned as a terminal recipient—an experiential endpoint of meaning-making. Purpose emerged as a critical mediating bridge in the network; however, it also paradoxically predicted decreases in subsequent well-being and significance. Furthermore, our model indicates a top-down precedence, where a global sense of meaning predicted its three components over time, but not vice versa. These findings demonstrate that the functions of MIL’s components shift across different levels of analysis, and they provide a more nuanced, process-oriented foundation for future theories and interventions aimed at fostering a meaningful life.