The linked testimonial is better in such it actually speaks about the benefit the person received. On the other hand it's quite long. You could quote from it:
"I figured out that I wanted to build a life that was centered around bettering myself and other people. I wanted to be someone who constantly was learning and growing, while at the same time, being a teacher of sorts to help those around me. Not long after reaching these conclusions, did I discover a potential career choice that I felt fit me perfectly."
The reason the quote was in there is to tie the sentiment of meaning and purpose to someone that the general public would be aware of, and based on my research, Mikhail Gorbachev's response was typical of other Soviet citizens.
The problem is that this is no proof that their approach works. If you ask a member of a lot of non-evidence based methods you will also find them calling that their method brings happiness.
I think we do link to studies using CBT tools, such as this one, but perhaps you're referring to something I don't know about
The fact that there research behind the scoring scheme that you use to measure meaning in life doesn't mean there evidence that the exercises you propose raise that score. At lesat you don't link to them. I don't see a reference to research for the exercises that you propose in that PDF.
Good point about quoting from the testimonial. Perhaps a combination of linking to it and quoting from it would be best, since this workbook will come out as an e-book. Appreciate the suggestion!
Agreed that Gorbachev's statement is not "proof" as such - it is weak evidence, but all that is available. Case study evidence is also evidence, even if weak. I'll make a note of that in the workbook, highlighting that it is weak evidence.
Good point about the exercises. I'll look for appropriate research to reference there. Thank you!
We at Intentional Insights would appreciate your help with feedback on optimize a workbook that conveys rational thinking to find meaning and purpose in life for a broad audience. Last time, we asked for your feedback, and we changed our content offerings based on comments we received from fellow Less Wrongers, as you can see from the Edit to this post. We would be glad to update our beliefs again and revise the workbook based on your feedback.
For a bit of context, the workbook is part of our efforts to promote rational thinking to a broad audience and thus raise the sanity waterline. It’s based on research on how other societies besides the United States helped their citizens find meaning and purpose, such as research I did on the Soviet Union and Zuckerman did on Sweden and Denmark. It’s also based on research on the contemporary United States by psychologists such as Steger, Duffy and Dik, Seligman, and others.
The target audience is reason-minded youth and young adults, especially secular-oriented ones. The goal is to get such people to engage with academic research on how our minds work, and thus get them interested in exploring rational thinking more broadly, eventually getting them turned on to more advanced rationality, such as found on Less Wrong itself. The workbook is written in a style aimed to create cognitive ease, with narratives, personal stories, graphics, and research-based exercises.
Here is the link to the workbook draft itself. Any and all suggestions are welcomed, and thanks for taking the time to engage with this workbook and give your feedback – much appreciated!