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Purpose in life increases longevity
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According to an interesting new study, those with a direct purpose in life will live longer. It doesn’t matter what the purpose is or whether it’s extremely ambitious or not. What matters is that there’s a high level of purpose. It can be anything from wanting to accomplish a goal in life or as inconsequential as reading a series of books. Previous studies have shown that having a purpose in life is crucial to maintaining psychological wellness and can be important for physical health. Now, as this new study shows, it also increases longevity.
Dr. Patricia Boyle, a neuropsychologist at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center said, “We found that people who reported a greater level of purpose in life were substantially less likely to die over the follow-up period… as compared to people with a lower level of purpose,” Boyle said. “What this is saying is, if you find purpose in life, if you find your life is meaningful and if you have goal-directed behavior, you are likely to live longer,” she said. But why? It could be that having a greater sense of purpose increases psychological wellbeing and helps the body function better, which, in turn, protect the body in the face of illness.
One great way to find purpose in life is to volunteer. Volunteering has been shown to improve mental and physical health for various reasons. Now, there’s even more incentive – you might increase your lifespan! There are so many great places to volunteer in Newark, New Jersey. Check out Idealist.com or Volunteermatch.com for some great ideas.
Via Health.com
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