According to Albert Einstein, "The man who regards his own life and that of his fellow creatures as meaningless is not merely unhappy but hardly fit for life."
Okay, it will be difficult to dispute the fact, but how does the concept of "meaning" figure into the hard science of medicine?
Very simply put: it does and very much so. The meaning that a patient gives to his or her disease or his or her overall state of health, measurably has a greater impact on their health than for example the life-shortening habit of cigarette smoking. Several long-term studies involving over 23,000 people between 18 and 94 of age suggest as much, including one conducted by Yale Medical School and published in the Journal of Gerontology, in 1991.
All of these studies come to the same conclusion: a person's opinion about his or her state of health is a better indicator than factors such as verifiable symptoms, extensive exams or lab tests. The studies confirmed that people who smoked were twice as likely to die within the next 12 years. So far the common logic was confirmed. However another finding totally went against this very logic, namely the statistically proven fact that people who themselves described their own state of health as "poor" were found to be seven times more likely to die within the next 12 years than those who stated that their health was "excellent".
The meaning a patient assigns to his or her health and life, does indeed count for something. Therefore, even the best therapy cannot be administered mechanically. It works best when given in the context of the patient's history and the meaning he or she gives to it. As a physician studies such as the one quoted above confirmed me in my approach to listen to the patient as much as I pay attention to the facts revealed by lab test and examinations.