Have you noticed the rising chorus in the management literature proclaiming that work must have meaning? On this very site, for example, several authors have published research-based blog posts on how managers can create the conditions that support meaningful work. This is a very positive development, because work is a huge part of life, and meaning in life is not just a “nice-to-have”. We need it in the way we need oxygen. There are few things more life-enriching and life-prolonging in human experience than a sense of meaning.