Having a sense of meaning and purpose in your life may do more than just give you focus, it may help you live longer. Researchers interviewed more than 9,000 older adults and found that those who professed having a sense of purpose in life were less likely to die during the eight-year study. Research leader Dr. Andrew Steptoe adds, “[There] are several biological mechanisms that may link well-being to improved health, for example through hormonal changes or reduced blood pressure. Further research is now needed to see if such changes might contribute to the links between well-being and life expectancy in older people.”
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, November 2014