Greater Sense of Purpose Linked to Better Cardiovascular Health and Lower Mortality

A study published in Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine reports that people who have a greater sense of purpose in life are at lower risk of death and cardiovascular disease. The findings come from a meta-analysis, in which researchers pooled data from ten previous studies—mainly from the United States and Japan—with over 136,000 participants (published online December 1, 2015; doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000274). 

In the US studies, a sense of purpose or meaning in life, or “usefulness to others,” was evaluated. The Japanese studies assessed the concept of ikigai, translated as “a life worth living.” The study participants (mean age, 67 years), were followed for an average of 7 years. During this time, more than 14,500 participants died from any cause, and more than 4000 suffered cardiovascular events (ie, heart attack, stroke, etc).

The analysis showed a lower risk of death for participants with a higher sense of purpose in life. After adjusting for other factors, mortality was about one-fifth lower for participants reporting a strong sense of purpose, or ikigai. A high sense of purpose in life was also related to a lower risk of cardiovascular events. Both associations remained significant when participants were analyzed separately by country, by how purpose in life was measured, and by the pre-existence of cardiovascular disease.

According to the authors, there is a well-documented link between “negative psychosocial risk factors” and adverse health outcomes, including heart attack, stroke, and overall mortality. “Conversely, more recent study provides evidence that positive psychosocial factors can promote healthy physiological functioning and greater longevity,” the authors wrote.

One of the lead authors, Alan Rozanski MD, said, “Having a strong sense of life purpose has long been postulated to be an important dimension of life, providing people with a sense of vitality, motivation, and resilience… Nevertheless, the medical implications of living with a high or low sense of life purpose have only recently caught the attention of investigators. The current findings are important because they may open up new potential interventions for helping people to promote their health and sense of well-being.”—Amanda Del Signore