Can the belief that life has no inherent meaning become a source of psychological freedom and well-being?
This question lies at the heart of NEMO – Nihilism, Existential Meanings and Outcomes, a research project led by dr hab. Michał Jaśkiewicz, prof. UG, from the Institute of Psychology at the University of Gdańsk. The project, fully entitled „What will you fill the void with? The relationship of nihilism with compensatory narratives, well-being, and intergroup relations,” is funded by the National Science Centre (NCN) under the OPUS programme.
The project brings together researchers working in existential, personality, social, and cross-cultural psychology. Its main aim is to explore the psychological and social consequences of nihilistic beliefs, with a particular focus on optimistic nihilism – the idea that recognising the absence of objective meaning in life does not necessarily lead to despair, but may instead foster freedom, appreciation of everyday experiences, and psychological well-being.
The research will examine how optimistic and existential nihilism relate to personality characteristics, well-being, susceptibility to conspiracy theories and misinformation, and attitudes towards other social groups. Combining cross-cultural surveys, nationally representative studies, and psychological experiments, the project will investigate whether a more adaptive form of nihilism can help people cope with existential uncertainty and reduce prejudice and perceived social polarisation.
“Our starting point is that nihilism does not necessarily have to be a pessimistic worldview. Recognising that life has no predetermined cosmic purpose may actually be liberating, allowing people to create their own meanings and appreciate their everyday experiences,” explains the PI of the project, Michał Jaśkiewicz.