Scientists on a mission to uncover what constitutes a life well lived found the answer after analyzing 38 million obituaries from the US spanning 30 years.

Using automated text analysis tools, the team found that the most commonly celebrated values were tradition and benevolence.

Nearly 80 percent of obituaries highlighted respect for customs or religion, while 76 percent emphasized caring, reliability and trustworthiness.

'Words like faithful, Bible, missionary, or other references to God were quite prevalent,' lead author David Markowitz, an associate professor at Michigan State University, told the Daily Mail.

The study further highlights how values, gender, age and historical context intersect when it comes to remembering the dead. 

It found that women are consistently remembered for benevolence, men for achievement and structured responsibility, and older adults for tradition. 

At the same time, the study showed that crises such as 9/11, the financial collapse and the Covid-19 pandemic can temporarily shift the social priorities reflected in obituaries, showing that legacy is not just personal but deeply cultural.

By mining decades of obituaries, the researchers offered an unprecedented glimpse into the values society honors. 

The work suggested that what a society celebrates in death reveals as much about the living as it does about the deceased, offering a mirror into cultural ideals and shared human priorities.

Markowitz noted that beyond religious faith, common themes included faithfulness to others, deep spirituality and belief in the common good. 

Certain words - 'wife, mother, caring or friend; anything reflecting rich social connections' - were common throughout, and told of someone who practiced benevolence, he said.

By contrast, words associated with power or personal strength - like being strong or always fighting for something - were far less prominent in the obituaries. This showed that, in death, force is perhaps not the most fondly remembered trait. 

When it comes to how memorialization has been impacted by the major world events, Markowitz noted several trends.

Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the US, the mention of security in obituaries declined as the mentions of tradition and benevolence increased.

The nationwide review revealed that obituaries of New York State, 9/11 victims emphasized benevolence more than those in other states. 

The study found that the decline in emphasis on security in those New York victim obituaries remained lower for at least two weeks after the attacks.

'That fits very much with lived experience, and also what people felt,' Markowitz said, claiming that as people felt less secure, they placed less emphasis on it in their lives.

He said this analysis provides clear evidence of a link between language and location when it comes to the way lives are memorialized.

Similarly, the 2008 financial crisis influenced obituaries as mentions of the value of achievement - reflecting personal success and socially valued skills - gradually declined starting one month after the crisis and continued to decrease over the following year.

During the financial crisis, Markowitz said there was a drop in emphasis on religion and tradition as well.

The Covid-19 pandemic further highlighted the interplay between societal events and values in obituary writing.

The mention of benevolence in obituaries decreased starting in 2019, just before the pandemic, and has yet to recover.

'What was kind of a paradox is that, while we were deeply caring for other people, we really were staying at home,' said Markowitz, explaining that the physical separation led to a disconnect emotionally. This change, Markowitz said, could explain the shift in what was mentioned in obituaries.

Two and four years after the pandemic, traditional themes - religion and social norms - remained elevated and did not return to pre-pandemic levels.

Markowitz found that during the pandemic, people were less likely to include the deceased's institutional roles and structured responsibilities. For example, he noted that there were fewer references to military service and careers. 

'Obituaries serve as a unique source of information about how societies value different kinds of lives,' Markowitz said.

'They reveal broader patterns of remembrance, showing who is remembered, for what contributions, and how cultural values are expressed.' 

Markowitz explained that traumatic events affect not just our daily social and emotional lives, but they also leave lasting marks on how we think, feel and act. 

Obituaries, therefore, serve as time capsules, revealing how people felt at a given moment and offering a rich glimpse into the nation’s mood at the time.

'Shared trauma can shape what is mourned and highlight regional differences,' he said, adding that it further demonstrates how place and proximity influence legacy.