Having a purpose in life means you’re less likely to die young

By Pol Allingham via SWNS

Having a purpose in life means you’re less likely to die young, suggests a new study.

Scientists found that direction and goals are linked to better physical functioning, lower risks of cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline, which can all reduce the likelihood of death by any cause.

Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) found the trend remained true regardless of race and ethnicity, and applied sightly more to women than men.

Lead author Dr. Koichiro Shiba, assistant professor of epidemiology at BUSPH, said: “Having a purpose in life has been known to improve many health outcomes on average.

“In another study I led, we found that the effect of purpose on lowering all-cause mortality may differ by socioeconomic status.

“In this study, we extended the prior evidence and found that the beneficial effect of purpose persisted regardless of gender and race/ethnicity.”

Shiba and his colleagues at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health used data from 13,000 people in the Health and Retirement Study, which is nationally representative of adults 50 years and over who live in the U.S.

The participants were assessed on their self-reported sense of purpose, and their mortality risks over an eight-year period.

People with the highest sense of purpose had the lowest risk of death, just 15.2 percent versus 36.5 percent for those with the lowest sense of purpose.

They also found other factors that can influence health, including socioeconomic status, baseline physical health and depression.

The scientists found an increase in each was also linked with a higher sense of purpose.

Shiba said the discovered gender divide may be due to women using healthcare services more.

He said: “Evidence suggests men tend to underuse necessary healthcare services, due to social norm.

“However, future study investigating the mechanisms underlying the gender difference is warranted.

“This evidence on effect heterogeneity tells us whether population-level purpose interventions can promote people’s health not only on average, but also in an equitable manner.

“Although evidence suggests purpose interventions would not lead to widening racial disparities in mortality, policymakers should also be aware of other sources of heterogeneity, such as SES and gender.

“Even though people may view purpose as a ‘psychological’ factor, its impacts on health cannot be explained solely by processes that operate in our mind and biology.

“We need to consider how the psychological factor interacts with our social world and ultimately impacts our health.”