A Double-Edged Sword: Encounters With Nihilistic Beliefs and Their Influence on Meaning, Wellbeing and Moral Values

Commentaries describe a perceived increase in nihilistic beliefs, the idea that life lacks any inherent existential meaning, within popular culture and modern society. Such commentaries often describe negative impacts on individual wellbeing, societal cohesion, morality and collective action. However, work on nihilism has been largely theoretical, with limited empirical insights. We interviewed 13 people interested in nihilism about their definitions of nihilism and its perceived influence on their wellbeing, decisions and morality. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we generated seven themes and six subthemes. The first three themes considered how participants defined, and where they encountered, nihilism. While all participants described a rejection of inherent sources of meaning, views and experiences of nihilism’s definition and origins varied. The remaining four themes considered nihilism’s perceived influence, thereby finding experiences vary greatly depending on responses to nihilism. While some thought nihilism helped them be more authentic and find meaning and morality beyond externally imposed structures, for others nihilism decreased their motivation to engage with society and sometimes impeded moral action. Our findings suggest conceptualisations of nihilism and their lived reality vary, with active and passive responses to nihilism potentially playing a key role in resulting meaning and wellbeing.