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new study finds a correlation between a sense
of meaning and physical and mental well-being as we grow older.
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on PinterestFinding meaning in one's life can help people stay healthy in later
years.
The older people get, the more their
lives might change. For example, their friends and relatives may reach the ends
of their lives, and people's careers may begin to wind down.
According to a new study paper
appearing in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry,
crossing this threshold reawakens people's need to find meaning in life.
The study, which researchers at the
University of California San Diego School of Medicine conducted, finds a link
between having a sense of meaning and positive physical, mental, and cognitive
functioning.
"Those
with meaning in life are happier and healthier than those without it,"
says senior study author Dilip V. Jeste.
A new priority
Although a search for meaning may be
on our minds at various times in our lives, the new study suggests that when
our lives are full of family, friends, and careers, it tends to fade into the
background.
"When you are young, like in
your 20s, you are unsure about your career, a life partner, and who you are as
a person. You are searching for meaning in life," says Jeste.
However, "As you start to get
into your 30s, 40s, and 50s, you have more established relationships, maybe you
are married and have a family, and you are settled in a career. The search
decreases and the meaning in life increases."
Jeste continues: "After age 60,
things begin to change. People retire from their job and [may] start to lose
their [sense of] identity. They start to develop health issues and some of
their friends and family begin to pass away. They start searching for the
meaning in life again because the meaning they once had has changed."
As we become older, there seems to
be a pressing need to know what we should be doing with — and what we should be
feeling about — our remaining time.
For many people, finding meaning
becomes a prerequisite for a happy ending to one's life story. Without it,
suggests the study, our declining years and the difficulties they may involve
may be dominated by stress and its
physical consequences.
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Who participated in the study?
The researchers drew their
correlations from 1,042 adults who took part in the Successful Aging Evaluation
from January 2013 to June 2014.
The participants were residents of
adult communities in San Diego County, CA. They were aged 21–100+.
The researchers performed three
evaluations:
- "A Meaning in Life Questionnaire" captured
each participant's current relationship with meaning, categorized as
"Search" or "Presence." The team asked the
participants to identify with different statements, such as, "I am
seeking a purpose or mission for my life," or, "I have
discovered a satisfying life purpose."
- Each participant self-reported their physical condition
and mental status.
- Each participant took part in a phone interview as a
means of assessing their cognitive status.
What the study found
In terms of searching for meaning
versus acquiring it, the data showed a striking inverse relationship between
the two at age 60: "Presence" reached its highest level at that age,
while "Search" hit its lowest.
This suggests that for many people,
there was no further need to keep searching for meaning at that point; they had
found it by the time they turned 60.
Using statistical models, the
researchers found that physical condition correlated negatively with older age
but positively with Presence. In fact, the correlation grew even stronger
beyond the age of 60.
Mental well-being was positively
associated with aging and Presence but negatively with Search. Cognitive
function was negatively linked to advancing age and Search.
The
study's conclusion is that finding meaning in one's life constitutes a sound
strategy for thriving in later years — in part because it supports the
preservation of a person's physical and mental well-being.
As first study author Awais Aftab
explains, "The medical field is beginning to recognize that meaning in
life is a clinically relevant and potentially modifiable factor, which can be
targeted to enhance [people's] well-being and functioning."
Jeste says, "It's an exciting
time in this field as we are seeking to discover evidence-based answers to some
of life's most profound questions."
His upcoming research will focus on
other personal attributes — including wisdom, loneliness, and compassion — and
how they may affect a person's search for meaning.
"We also want to examine if
some biomarkers of stress and aging are associated with searching and finding
the meaning in life," he says.
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