Life Purpose Is Linked With Longevity
Purposeful living may have health benefits.
Link up with clear goals and find your wellness groove. In a study of nearly 7,000 American participants over age 50, researchers found that having a strong sense of purpose in life was linked with a lower rate of death from all causes. Life purpose is individual and includes what gives you something to live for, stimulates goals and provides joy.
The study was reported in JAMA Network Open (2019; 2 [5], e194270).
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
