Effects of ancestral information on social connectedness and life meaning

With the rise of biotechnological tools such as ancestral information tests, individuals today are able to discover previously inaccessible information about themselves. Here, we explore how obtaining ancestral information—information about family history and lineage—affects people's sense of social connectedness and perceived meaning in their lives. In addition, we investigate how ancestral information affects individuals' motivations to engage in self-care behaviors or behaviors that enhance their legacy. The primary goal of this research is to identify a novel antecedent of meaning in life—past rather than present social connections and to understand how receiving ancestral information affects future behavior and decisions. We randomly assigned individuals to receive information about (1) their ancestry, (2) others' ancestral information, or (3) their current social networks. From our data (N = 365), we did not find statistically significant differences among the three conditions on social connectedness and life meaning. Thus, the role of ancestral information in improving social connection and life meaning remains inconclusive. We discuss the implications of these results for future research on social connection and life meaning.