Organizational Psychology

Rethinking Meaningfulness Through a Cultural Lens: Lessons from Mohsen Joshanloo

In this episode of Meaningful Work Matters, host Andrew Soren speaks with Dr. Mohsen Joshanloo, a personality and cross-cultural psychologist whose research explores mental well-being, emotions, personality traits, and culture. Mohsen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Keimyung University in South Korea and an Honorary Principal Fellow at the Centre for Wellbeing Science at the University of Melbourne. With a global perspective, he incorporates data from countries across six continents to challenge the assumption that emotional happiness and autonomy are universal ideals.

In their conversation, Soren and Joshanloo explore how different cultures define wellbeing, the phenomenon of “fear of happiness,” and why a sense of purpose may matter more than emotional happiness—especially at work.

The Western Bias in Wellbeing Models

Joshanloo opens with a critique of many dominant models of psychological wellbeing, which often originate in Western societies. These models prioritize individualistic traits like self-esteem, autonomy, and personal growth—an assumption that meaning must be self-generated to be authentic. These ideals don't always translate across cultures.

“The criticism isn’t that other cultures don’t value autonomy or purpose,” Joshanloo explains, “but that the definition of those things changes depending on cultural context.”

In what Joshanloo describes as collectivist or traditional societies, meaning is often derived from social roles, tradition, or guidance from elders. Far from being seen as conformist, these sources of meaning are deeply valued and can form the foundation of a fulfilling life.

Eudaimonic Wellbeing vs. Emotional Happiness

A central distinction in the conversation is between emotional happiness and eudaimonic wellbeing. Emotional happiness refers to short-term positive feelings, while eudaimonic wellbeing is rooted in dimensions like purpose, personal growth, and living in alignment with one’s values.

Mohsen’s longitudinal research has shown that:

  • Emotional happiness and eudaimonic wellbeing are correlated in the short term.

  • Over time, eudaimonic wellbeing predicts future emotional happiness—but not the other way around.

This finding suggests that chasing emotional highs may not lead to sustainable wellbeing. Instead, investing in purpose and meaning may be a more durable path to fulfillment.

Understanding Fear of Happiness

One of Mohsen’s most well-known contributions is his long-running research on the fear of happiness. Across 25+ countries, his team has explored why people in some cultures are hesitant to fully embrace or express happiness.

This fear isn’t about rejecting joy altogether, but rather a belief that intense happiness may lead to negative outcomes—like envy, loss, or punishment. In some cultures, visible happiness may invite the “evil eye” or signal carelessness, making restraint a form of protection.

“People may fear emotional happiness,” says Joshanloo, “but rarely do they fear growth, purpose, or contribution.”

This insight challenges the idea that emotional happiness is the ultimate human goal and helps expand the conversation around what it means to support wellbeing—particularly in diverse or global settings.

What Purpose Tells Us About Money and Satisfaction

In a global dataset spanning 94 countries, Joshanloo examined the relationship between income, purpose, and life satisfaction. His findings were striking: people without a clear sense of purpose placed more importance on income when evaluating their lives. For those with a strong sense of purpose, the correlation between income and life satisfaction was significantly weaker.

In other words, meaning can buffer our reliance on external markers of success.

This insight has direct implications for how we think about motivation, performance, and compensation at work. While money is important, purpose may be a more stable source of satisfaction—especially when work feels meaningful.

From Research to the Workplace: Why Mattering Comes First

So, how can organizations apply these insights?

Joshanloo emphasizes that before people can pursue purpose, they need to believe they matter. Feeling invisible or powerless undermines motivation, whereas believing you can make a difference is the first step toward purpose-driven engagement.

“You can’t make people feel they don’t matter and then expect them to be purposeful,” he says.

For leaders, this means that fostering inclusion and psychological safety is not just a cultural goal—it’s a strategic one. Only when employees feel valued can they fully engage with their work and find meaning in it.

Resources for Further Exploration

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Indigenous Perspectives on Meaningful Work: Lessons from Adam Murry and Alvan Yuan

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In this episode of Meaningful Work Matters, host Andrew Soren sits down with two researchers who are enhancing our understanding of meaningful work through an Indigenous lens.

Dr. Adam Murry, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Calgary with Ukrainian, Irish, and Apache heritage, and his graduate student Alvan Yuan, a Canadian of Taiwanese descent, offer an exploration of Indigenous perspectives in workplace settings.

Drawing from their extensive research in post-secondary institutions, Murray and Yuan go beyond describing workplace experiences. They provide a comprehensive analysis that challenges existing paradigms of meaningful work, offering practical insights for leaders and organizations seeking to create more inclusive, purposeful work environments.

Their study explores the complex ways Indigenous faculty and staff in post-secondary institutions define, experience, and navigate professional purpose, while also presenting actionable strategies for organizational transformation.

The Research Journey

The conversation begins with the backstory of their research, which emerged from a critical question posed by university leadership: How can we retain and support Indigenous faculty and staff?

Murry explains that this wasn't just another academic exercise, but a deeply purposeful investigation prompted by concerns about Indigenous employees being recruited away from their institutions.

The researchers interviewed 18 Indigenous faculty and staff from universities across Western Canada, focusing on understanding their experiences of meaningful work. Their approach was deliberately collaborative, rooted in Murry's long-standing commitment to research that genuinely serves Indigenous communities.

Redefining Meaningful Work

Through their interviews, Murry and Yuan uncovered an holistic understanding of meaningful work that extends far beyond traditional workplace metrics. For the Indigenous employees the spoke with, work is intrinsically linked to broader concepts of community, ancestry, and collective purpose.

Three key dimensions emerged as central to their sense of meaningful work:

1 Generational Belonging - seeing work as a continuation of ancestral labor and a service to both current and future generations. This perspective transforms work from an individual pursuit to a collective journey of community advancement.

2 Connectedness - not just to immediate colleagues, but to community, land, and cultural context. This connectedness is far more comprehensive than typical workplace understanding of team dynamics.

3 Job Design - finding meaning in work that directly aligns with Indigenous causes or personal cultural beliefs. The job itself becomes a vehicle for cultural preservation and community empowerment.

The Invisible Labor of Indigenous Professionals

Murry and Yuan don't shy away from naming the systemic challenges Indigenous employees face.

They describe what they term the "minority tax" - an invisible burden of additional unrecognized labor. Indigenous faculty and staff are simultaneously expected to represent entire Indigenous experiences while managing traditional job responsibilities, all while confronting deep-rooted colonial structures within institutions.

The researchers highlight a critical tension: organizations frequently seek to leverage Indigenous employees' community-driven values without providing adequate support, recognition, or compensation.

This dynamic often leads to burnout, frustration, and a sense of exploitation.

Pathways to Organizational Transformation

The research offers compelling recommendations for meaningful change. Murry and Yuan advocate for a radical reimagining of workplace structures that goes beyond surface-level diversity initiatives.

Key strategies include:

  • Providing genuine job crafting opportunities

  • Encoding community-focused work into formal job descriptions

  • Creating promotion criteria that truly recognize Indigenous contributions

  • Allowing Indigenous employees to define decolonization on their own terms

Decolonization as a Workplace Journey

The researchers frame meaningful work as a potential avenue for reconciliation - a space where systemic barriers can be challenged and transformed.

They draw on the powerful insight that decolonization is not just an institutional mandate, but a deeply personal process of reclaiming narrative and purpose.

Conclusion

Murry and Yuan invite us to expand our understanding of meaningful work.

They challenge us to recognize that career purpose is a deeply personal journey shaped by cultural context, historical experiences, and collective aspirations.

For organizations seeking greater diversity, equity, and inclusion, this research offers a transformative roadmap - one that honors the rich, multifaceted experiences of Indigenous professionals and reimagines workplace culture through a lens of genuine respect and mutual understanding.

Resources Mentioned