Bringing Giftedness to Bear: Generativity, Meaningfulness, and Self-Control as Resources for a Happy Life Among Gifted Adults

Abstract

Meaning in life has been found to be of particular importance for the subjective well-being of intellectually gifted individuals. However, there is a lack of research about what contributes to gifted adults’ meaning in life and how it could be enhanced. This study examined if the devotion of one’s gift or talent to the well-being of others—i.e., the source of meaning “generativity”—would lead to a sense of meaning and, in further consequence, result in higher subjective well-being over time. Furthermore, we hypothesized that the effect of meaningfulness on subjective well-being was conditional on trait self-control. Longitudinal data of two gifted groups was obtained via an online study: 100 intellectually gifted individuals (55% female; mean age 43 ± 9 years) and 52 high academic achievers (29% female; mean age 57 ± 14 years). The former group experienced significantly lower levels of meaningfulness (p = 0.001, η2 = 0.076), self-control (p < 0.001, η2 = 0.090), and generativity (p = 0.025, η2 = 0.034) than the latter. As expected, the actualization of generative orientations in life enhanced both gifted groups’ meaningfulness and, in further consequence, their subjective well-being over time. Furthermore, the positive association between life meaning and subjective well-being was enhanced by trait self-control among the intellectually gifted but not among the high academic achievers. However, as proposed, the latter’s subjective well-being was strongly related to self-control. Results highlight that a generative orientation can help gifted individuals to advance a personal sense of meaning and happiness over time. In this context, intellectually gifted individuals appear to particularly benefit from self-control. Consequently, the intrinsic willpower to subdue inner responses, emotions as well as undesired behaviors might strengthen the positive effect between sources of meaning, life meaning, and subjective well-being.

Crisis of Meaning and Subjective Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Resilience and Self-Control among Gifted Adults

“…This inflexibility to respond consciously to stimuli (internal or external) and the missing focus of awareness-when suffering from a lack of meaning-in turn, decreased their subjective well-being. These findings are in accordance with a recent longitudinal study that suggests a strong link between self-control and subjective well-being among academically high-achieving adults [51].…”

“…The ability to regulate one's responses is strongly associated with motivation, which, in turn, is linked to goal achievement and, according to goal theories, results in higher well-being [48][49][50]. A recent longitudinal study suggests that self-control strengthens the positive association between a sense of meaning and subjective well-being among intellectually gifted adults [51]. Moreover, this study emphasizes that academically high-achieving adults' subjective well-being is strongly linked with self-control [51].…”

“…A recent longitudinal study suggests that self-control strengthens the positive association between a sense of meaning and subjective well-being among intellectually gifted adults [51]. Moreover, this study emphasizes that academically high-achieving adults' subjective well-being is strongly linked with self-control [51]. Given these suggestions and the finding that self-control deteriorates during stressful life periods [52], I propose that a crisis of meaning decreases self-control, and, in turn, subjective well-being among intellectually gifted and academically high-achieving adults.…”

Choosing between personal values: The Pavlovian substrates of intrinsic preferences

“…In the present experiment, however, the signal in the amygdala was associated with the comparative valuations directly, providing evidence for the longstanding suggestion of a role of this structure in determining choices also in humans (Seymour and Dolan 2008), but only when specific types of preferences are at stake. In contrast, activation of the prefrontal neural substrates of goal-directed and executive processes, which are often associated in the literature with adaptive choice, self-control, and the capacity to sustain long-term objectives (Emmons 2003;Baumeister et al 2013;Huta and Ryan 2010;Vötter and Schnell 2019), was inconsistent or absent. These data suggest that to make choices among personal values, humans use a network that is often reported in studies of choice in laboratory animals, while to make mundane choices, humans use more refined goal-directed mechanisms.…”

Life satisfaction for gifted adults: Its relation to gender, age, religiosity, and income

“…Although our results are inconsistent with the studies that show that the gifted are more at risk of emotional and social problems, and they may express less life satisfaction than the non-gifted. Among them is the study of Vötter & Schnell (2019b), which indicated that gifted adults are at higher risk for existential crises, as well as not much is known about what contributes to the sense of life meaning and its significance to them or their satisfaction with life. As well gifted adults experienced significantly lower levels of meaningfulness, subjective well-being, and self-compassion compared to the general population.…”