The Secrets of Self-Transcendent People

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Have you ever headed outdoors late at night to gaze at the stars? Or have you felt a sense of wonder and awe as you wandered among the towering trees in an old-growth forest?

If you have, you have experienced a moment of transcendence—a sense of being connected to something greater than yourself.

It is truly an awe-inspiring feeling.

What Self-Transcendence Is and Why It Matters

There’s no doubt about it. Moments of transcendence can have a powerful emotional impact. They tend to produce the kind of memories we cherish. However, many people don't realize that experiencing these moments of transcendence improves your overall quality of life.

Research has shown that people who score highly on tests measuring self-transcendence are likely to have a strong sense of purpose in life, to feel good about themselves, to feel hopeful about the future, to experience positive emotions, and to report a heightened sense of well-being.

Self-Transcendence at Midlife

A 2021 study published in the Journal of Personality looked into the role of self-transcendence in the lives of midlife adults.

The researchers asked 144 late-midlife adults, all of whom happened to be in their mid-to-late fifties, to share life narratives—stories making sense of their lives.

The participants were encouraged to focus on high points, low points, turning points, and other moments that stood out for them, and to think of these moments as a series of chapters in a longer story—the story of their lives.

They were also encouraged to consider their growth and development as a person over time: Who they have been, who they are, and who they hope to become.

As the researchers began to analyze the stories shared by this group of midlife adults, they realized that self-transcendence plays an important role in midlife development. As we move through this middle chapter of our lives, we feel an increased need to connect the dots between past, present, and future in a way that allows our lives and our stories to make sense.

Research Highlights

They also made a couple of key discoveries.

• First, they discovered that some groups of people are more likely than others to score highly on measures of self-transcendence. Demographic data revealed that middle-class Black women had the highest scores while affluent white adults had the lowest scores.
• Second, they discovered that people who score highly on measures of self-transcendence tend to experience the world in a particular way. They consider life to be “an exciting and self-revealing journey.” They’re fascinated by their inner lives and their connections to other people. And they demonstrate a remarkable acceptance of the challenges baked into the human experience—both personal foibles and cosmic tragedies, as the researchers put it.

In terms of what this means in practical terms:

• Self-transcendent people can move past difficult experiences, rather than feeling weighed down with regret.
• Self-transcendent people experience a strong sense of belonging (both at the individual relationship level and in terms of feeling connected to humanity and the natural world).
• Self-transcendent people describe themselves as being on a life-long quest to evolve into the best possible version of themselves—a journey that involves self-knowledge and self-acceptance.
• Self-transcendent people report feeling a strong sense of connection to something bigger than themselves (even though they might not necessarily describe themselves as religious).

Self-transcendence can be a powerful resource for navigating the sometimes choppy waters of midlife, allowing you to move through middle adulthood feeling anchored by a strong sense of connectedness and inspired by the ability to continue to learn and grow as a person.

I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty great to me.

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