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HEALTH

PEOPLE WITH A SENSE OF PURPOSE LIVE LONGER,

STUDY SUGGESTS

BY KASHMIRA GANDER ON 5/24/19 AT 11:10 AM EDT

People who have a sense of purpose in life appear to live longer, according to the  latest research linking this outlook to a person’s quality of life and to better physical and mental health. 

The authors of the study published in the journal JAMA Network Open  looked at data collected from 6,985 adults who were signed up to the Health and Retirement Study on people ages 50 and above in the US. The team looked at a group who completed a questionnaire in 2006 about their purpose in life, and used it to come up with a score. On average, the participants were 68.6 years old. Next, the scientists looked at causes of death in the group between 2006 and 2010. Variables included their demographic, marital status, race  and education level. Lifestyle choices like smoking and drinking were also noted.

Purpose was defined by the authors as a selforganizing life aim that stimulates goals,  promotes healthy behaviors and gives meaning to life.

The data revealed that the stronger the participants felt they had a purpose in life, the lower their risk of dying. This result remained even when the scientists adjusted their calculations for factors that could affect their score, such as a participants’ sociodemographic status and their health.

But scientists don’t know why there seems to be a link between purposefulness and the length of life. One explanation is that the attitude and overall wellbeing could prevent genes linked with inflammation from being expressed in the body. Meanwhile, lacking a purpose could dampen a person’s motivation to be healthy and active, the authors suggested.

Andrew Oswald, a professor of economics and behavioral science at the University of Warwick, in the U.K., who studies human happiness, told Newsweek: “It is as though the mind and body can draw on a pool of immune responses, and a healthy mind allows the body more immune response, in some way that we simply do not understand in 2019. Remarkably, a number of studies seem to show that happy people and people with a sense of purpose live longer.

<https://tinyurl.com/yykc8uu4> Acesso em: 27.05.2019. Adaptado.