Those who have a purpose in life tend to have a healthier and longer life, a new study states.
"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences," - Eleanor Roosevelt
There's nothing more dreadful than waking up each day to that feeling of not knowing where your life is heading. Therefore, the outcome of a new study that reveals that having a purpose in life makes you live longer seems convincing.
"Our findings point to the fact that deciding on a direction in life and setting overarching goals for oneself can help one live longer, regardless of when one finds his or her purpose," said Patrick Hill, lead research of the study from Carleton University in Canada, in a press release. "So, the earlier someone decides on a purpose, the earlier they'll benefit from the effects."
So, what's the logic behind this? Researchers noted that people who set goals and targets for themselves feel more self-worth, live a healthier life and have a positive outlook towards life. Coincidentally, these are the ingredients to a longer life.
For the study, researchers looked at data of 6,000 adult participants who were asked about their purpose in life. Researchers also collected data that measured each participant's personal relationship with others, and positive and negative emotions.
A follow-up study was conducted 14 years later where researchers found that 9 percent of the participants had died. Looking into the previously collected data, researchers found that most of the participants who had died reported little to no purpose in life and fewer positive relations. On the contrary, the participants who reported a purpose in life lived longer, irrespective of their age or gender.
"There are a lot of reasons to believe that being purposeful might help protect older adults more so than younger ones," Hill said in the release. "For instance, adults might need a sense of direction more, after they leave the workplace and lose that source for organizing their daily events."
A similar study conducted earlier this year found that being in control of your life and believing you can achieve goals despite all barriers can help you lead a healthier and longer life.
The study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and published online in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
