Find a purpose and you may live longer

If you’re wondering what the purpose of life is you might want to find an answer quick –it just might help you live longer.

According to research published in the journal Psychological Science, having a “sense of purpose” in life has been linked to longevity. While this is not the first study to look at how having a purpose affects mortality, it is the first research project to examine the effects of having a life purpose over time and whether or not those benefits increase or decrease depending on life circumstances and age.

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“There are a lot of reasons to believe that being purposeful might help protect older adults more so than younger ones,” study author Patrick Hill told MNT. “For instance, adults might need a sense of direction more, after they have left the workplace and lost that source for organizing their daily events. In addition, older adults are more likely to face mortality risks than younger adults.”

Hill added that during the research, though finding a purpose in life was associated with lower mortality, when that purpose was found was not as important as the process of setting goals to attain a purpose.

“To show that purpose predicts longer lives for younger and older adults alike is pretty interesting, and underscores the power of the construct,” he explained. “Our findings point to the fact that finding a direction for life, and setting overarching goals for what you want to achieve can help you actually live longer, regardless of when you find your purpose. So the earlier someone comes to a direction for life, the earlier these protective effects may be able to occur.”

Hill and his team followed approximately 6,000 individuals over a period of 14 years, relying on self-reported information on a person’s purpose in life or lack thereof. During the follow-up period, 569 of the participants had died, but those that passed away had reported fewer positive outlooks on a purpose of life compared to those that had survived.

While other factors needed to be taken into account–such as retirement and reduction of stress–Hill indicates the data suggests there is something unique about having a goal or a positive drive forward in life. He and other experts suspect it has something to do with the power of positivity from a psychological standpoint.

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The power of positive thinking has long been acknowledge by the medical community, and the Mayo Clinic states people who are more positive than negative experience a number of health benefits including:

• Increased life span
• Lower rates of depression
• Lower levels of distress
• Greater resistance to the common cold
• Better psychological and physical well-being
• Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

While it i not yet understood why being positive is so beneficial to health, Hill’s longevity study offers another supportive facet to this interesting area of study.