Meaning and purpose in life is associated with good health outcomes

To sacrifice oneself—one’s time, efforts, energy, comforts, and life—for the sake of others and the greater good is arguably the most noble and timeless virtue of humanity. It embodies the highest worth and the highest meaning of a human life.

A meaningful life is in and of itself the ultimate end. Nevertheless, it is still informative for us to observe that much research has linked meaning and purpose in life to improved health outcomes.

Lower mortality risk

In a study published in 2025 that included more than 150,000 people in the UK, researchers assessed study participants’ meaning in life with the question, “To what extent do you feel your life to be meaningful?” Participants responded on a 5-point scale: 1 (not at all), 2 (a little), 3 (a moderate amount), 4 (very much), and 5 (an extreme amount). The researchers found that for every step up in meaning in life (or more precisely, for every standard deviation higher in meaning in life), there was a 15% lower risk of death from any cause (1). Meaning in life was also associated with a reduced risk of death by 8% from cancer, by 28% from COVID-19, by 41% from respiratory system causes, by 32% from nervous system causes, by 25% from digestive system causes, and by 15% from circulatory system causes (1).

A 2009 study that included more than 1,200 older adults found that having a strong purpose in life was associated with a 40% reduction in mortality from all causes over five years of follow-up for those with the strongest purpose (2). In a larger 2019 study that included almost 7,000 adults older than 50 years of age, those with the lowest life purpose had a 2.4 times higher mortality risk from all causes compared with those with the highest life purpose. Researchers in this study pointed out that stronger purpose in life had been observed previously to be associated with lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and lower levels of inflammation (3).

Better brain health

Having a higher meaning and purpose in life is also associated with a lower risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer disease. In a study that included data from more than 210,000 participants, using the same 5-point scale mentioned above, every one point higher in life meaning was associated with a 25% reduced risk of developing dementia of all causes, such that those with the highest life meaning had a 68% lower risk of dementia compared with those with the lowest life meaning. Every point higher in life meaning was also associated with a 22% reduced risk of developing Alzheimer disease, such that those with the highest life meaning had a 63% lower risk of Alzheimer disease compared with those with the lowest life meaning (4).

When it comes to mental health, research has also shown that having a higher sense of meaning and purpose in life is associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety (5).

Interventions to promote meaning in life

Many interventions used in integrative and functional medicine have been found in clinical research to promote meaning in life, such as mindfulness-based programs (6). Narrative and life review programs are some of the most effective interventions in promoting meaning in life. One example is “re-storying” one’s life as a Hero’s Journey, by reflecting on important elements of one’s life and connecting them into a coherent and compelling narrative (7).

A holistic medicine approach to health honors the connection between mind, body, and spirit. Purpose and meaning in life is an important part of spiritual health considered in integrative medicine and, as we have briefly discussed here, is closely associated with physical and mental health.

On this Memorial Day, we salute and cherish the selfless sacrifices of heroes who gave much of themselves to preserve our democracy, one that reminds us that we are all “created equal.” Each of their lives is a hero’s journey.

References

1.  Sutin AR, Luchetti M, Karakose S, Stephan Y, Terracciano A. Meaning in life and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the UK Biobank. Journal of psychosomatic research. 2025;188:111971.

2.  Boyle PA, Barnes LL, Buchman AS, Bennett DA. Purpose in life is associated with mortality among community-dwelling older persons. Psychosomatic medicine. 2009;71(5):574-9.

3.  Alimujiang A, Wiensch A, Boss J, Fleischer NL, Mondul AM, McLean K, et al. Association Between Life Purpose and Mortality Among US Adults Older Than 50 Years. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(5):e194270.

4.  Sutin DAR, Luchetti M, Aschwanden D, Stephan Y, Sesker AA, Terracciano A. Sense of meaning and purpose in life and risk of incident dementia: New data and meta-analysis. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2023;105:104847.

5.  Boreham ID, Schutte NS. The relationship between purpose in life and depression and anxiety: A meta-analysis. J Clin Psychol. 2023;79(12):2736-67.

6.  Manco N, Hamby S. A Meta-Analytic Review of Interventions That Promote Meaning in Life. Am J Health Promot. 2021;35(6):866-73.

7.  Rogers BA, Chicas H, Kelly JM, Kubin E, Christian MS, Kachanoff FJ, et al. Seeing your life story as a Hero's Journey increases meaning in life. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2023;125(4):752-78.