"In today's complex world, how important are meaning and purpose, and where do you find them? A 2025 University of California, Davis study of 13,765 participants aged 45 or older with normal cognitive performance found that a higher sense of purpose in life was associated with less risk for developing cognitive impairment, even in people with inherited genetic risk for dementia (Howard and colleagues, 2025)."
"In 2023, Harvard Graduate School of Education conducted a national survey across young adults, teens, and parents, pinpointing a range of stressors associated with anxiety and depression in young adults (Weissbourd and colleagues, 2023). One of the top influencers was the lack of meaning, purpose, and direction, with 58 percent of young adults reporting that they lack "meaning or purpose" in their lives."
"Cultivating meaning and purpose is a primary motivation for living, integral to building resilience and expanding your capacity to respond to life's joys and sorrows. Purpose in life is usually goal-directed, personally resonant, and involves a focus on something beyond the self (Damon, Menon, and Bronk, 2003). Meaning-making or mattering invites a search toward greater wholeness, purpose, and well-being and is important throughout the lifespan (Weissbourd and colleagues, 2025; Park, 2012)."
Meaning and purpose strengthen well-being, resilience, and the capacity to respond to life’s joys and sorrows. A 2025 UC Davis study of 13,765 participants aged 45 and older linked higher purpose with lower risk of developing cognitive impairment, including among those with inherited genetic risk for dementia. A 2023 national survey found 58 percent of young adults report lacking meaning or purpose, alongside financial worry, pressure to achieve, loneliness, and political concerns. Purpose tends to be goal-directed, personally resonant, and focused beyond the self. Practices such as journaling and mindfulness can increase awareness, inner calm, and support meaning-making across the lifespan.
Read at Psychology Today
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