/9918578/Banner

/9918578/Banner_2

/9918578/Mid

section

articleId

product

orgType

parrefer

accountID

Consulting

Banking

Accounting

Fintech

Internships

Rankings

Internship Rankings

Intern Resource Center

Explore Internships

Vault Law Home

Practice Area Resource Centers

Regional Resource Centers

Summer Program Resource Center

Vault Law Culture & Inclusion Survey

Vault Law

Guides

Events

Financial Services

Technology

Grad School

Work Relationships

Productivity

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Social Impact

Remote Work

Negotiating

Changing Jobs

Workplace Issues

Blog

Resume Samples

Cover Letter Samples

Interview Tips & Questions

A Day in the Life

International

Career Readiness

Explore Professions

Research Industries

Search Companies

Career Advice

Employers

Schools

&lt;p&gt;We often search for jobs and lives that will make us happy. However, research shows that meaningful work and life experiences are more desirable than ones that bring us happiness. In fact, meaning makes us feel less lonely, more content, and more engaged than happiness does.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earlier this year, Emily Esfahani Smith, a &lt;em&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-style-span&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-style-span&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-style-span&quot;&gt;New York Times&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-style-span&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-style-span&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-style-span&quot;&gt;Wall Street Journal&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;journalist and graduate of Dartmouth and the University of Pennsylvania, wrote a book about this very topic called &lt;em&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-style-span&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-style-span&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-style-span&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amazon.com/power-meaning-crafting-life-matters/dp/0553419994&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matters&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;. She also gave a powerful &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ted.com/talks/emily_esfahani_smith_there_s_more_to_life_than_being_happy&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;TED Talk&lt;/a&gt; based on the research and findings that appear in her book.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Below, you&#39;ll find a clip of Smith speaking about her book at her alma mater Penn. Among other things, Smith outlines the four pillars of meaningful work and lives: 1) Purpose, 2) Belonging, 3) Transcendence, and 4) Storytelling. Smith&#39;s research (and talk) has the power to alter the way you look at your job and career, not to mention your life. Which is why we think it&#39;s well worth your time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width=&quot;560&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; src=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/EyHucsc_hHk&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Follow us on &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/VaultCareers&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Twitter&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Vault Careers

Article

Do You Have What It Takes to Work in a Radically Transparent Culture?

Why Are Millennials Less Likely Than Gen Xers to Hate Their Jobs?

Are Uber and Airbnb Hurting Rather Than Helping Us?

The Library