PKU SEME Lab

For centuries, humans have sought to understand themselves—through stories, art, philosophy, and science. What makes life feel meaningful? How can we live authentically? How do we navigate the tensions between change and continuity in our identities? Why do emotions like nostalgia and awe, aesthetic experiences, and even daily consumption profoundly shape our sense of who we are?

At the PKU SEME Lab, we investigate these timeless questions through rigorous scientific inquiry, blending interdisciplinary perspectives to study self-exploration and meaningful experience.

Our research draws on a wide range of methodologies—including lab and field experiments, big data analytics, narrative analysis, computational modeling, surveys, and interventions—to examine the dynamic processes of self-continuity, identity development, meaning-making, and aesthetic experience.

By integrating insights from psychology, marketing, philosophy, sociology, and the humanities, we aim to deepen our understanding of what it means to live a meaningful life in a rapidly changing world. Our lab is committed to interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative inquiry, bridging the subjective richness of human experience with empirical precision.

Together, we explore not just how humans are, but how they could be—unlocking new ways to understand, enrich, and transform the depth of lived experience.