Meaning and Purpose: Mental and Physical Well-Being
What is the benefit of finding a sense of meaning and purpose in life?
Well, research shows people who have a clear answer have better lives (Seligman). They can deal much better with both everyday life and the most challenging situations. The classic research on meaning and purpose comes from Victor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist who lived through the concentration camps of the Holocaust. He described how those who had a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives were most likely to survive and thrive in the camps. He conducted research demonstrating this both during and after his concentration camp experience (Frankl).
Courtesy of Cerina Gillilan
Recent studies illustrate that people who feel that their life has meaning and purpose experience a substantially higher degree of mental well-being. For example, Michael F. Steger,
a psychologist and Director of the Laboratory for the Study of Meaning and Quality of Life at Colorado State University, found that many people gain a great deal of psychological benefit from understanding what their lives are about and how they fit within the world around them.
His research demonstrates that people who have a strong sense of meaning and purpose have greater mental well-being in general. They are more satisfied on a day-to-day basis, as well as at work (Steger, Dik, and Duffy, “Measuring Meaningful Work”). Adolescents, in another study, are shown to feel less depressed, anxious, and are less likely to engage in risky behaviors the greater their search for, and sense of, meaning (Brassai, Piko, and Steger, “Meaning in Life”).
A deeper sense of life meaning and purpose also predicts better physical health. Greater meaning and purpose has been associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease (Boyle et al. “Effect of a Purpose in Life”). An increased sense of life meaning and purpose correlates with reduced risk of heart attack, the leading cause of death in the United States, and stroke, another of the top five leading causes of death (Kim et al. “Purpose in Life and Reduced
Risk;” “Purpose in Life and Reduced Incidence”). With such benefits for mental and physical well-being, it’s no wonder that a strong sense of life meaning and purpose predicts longevity, whether in the United States or around the world (Boyle et al. “Purpose in Life”).
Set aside 5 to 10 minutes to complete the following
Take a few minutes to think about what kind of mental and physical health and well-being you can gain from cultivating a rich and deep sense of meaning and purpose. What specific benefits of the ones described above would you most appreciate getting, or avoiding losing?
Write down your thoughts and then proceed onward.