Having a Sense of Purpose Can Extend Your Life

October 21, 2009

Posted by Maggie Spilner

If you’re retired or planning to retire, have you thought seriously about how you’ll spend your time? Have you ever mused about what it might be like to live in a senior community or assisted living facility? Given our increasing longevity, that’s a real possibility for many of us, especially women. If you have a parent or grandparent living in a senior community or assisted living, do you find that they have a sense of purpose and meaning in their life? Or do you see them losing their spark along with their sense of independence?

While we’ve known than a sense of meaning and purpose has an impact on psychological wellness and physical health in old age, a new study is the first to document that this mental and emotional attitude can add years to your life.

A recent study conducted at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found that having a purpose or even a simple goal seems to have a very real impact on longevity. Researchers who studied 1,238 older dementia-free adults living in a senior community found that those who reported the highest level of purpose in their lives were half as likely to die over a three-year period, as compared to the adults who reported the lowest sense of purpose.

This was true even after the researchers controlled for depression, disability and chronic health conditions.

The sense of purpose or goal didn’t have to be humanitarian or altruistic. Something a simple as wanting to read a series of books could make the difference.

The next important question to ask, say researchers, is whether or not people can be inspired to set goals or regain a sense of purpose if they’ve lost it. But this is not research you have to wait for. Common sense tells us that living without goals or purpose can rob us of energy and zest for life. And if you have a loved one who seems to be languishing in a senior home, assisted living or nursing home, helping them find and set new goals, no matter how simple, may be a true act of kindness and caring that could add both years and meaning to both of your lives.