The sense that one is living a worthwhile and meaningful life is fundamental to human flourishing and well-being. Have a sense of life purpose has a profound effect on health, relationships and financial security. Life purpose is the driving force, magnet and compass of an individual’s life.

Life Purpose defined: A sense of meaning and direction coupled with a feeling of inner value, worth and abundance that is readily and enjoyably shared with the world.

When we lack life purpose disease and premature death is the result. This is a limited list of diseases associated with lack or low sense of life purpose:

• Stroke– 50% greater risk.
• Coronary artery disease19% great risk.
• All cause mortality – 23% greater risk.
• Alzheimer’s disease– Two fold greater risk.
• Obesity – 72% of Americans overweight or obese.
• Depression
• Substance Abuse

A recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that people with higher life purpose were more likely to report moderate or vigorous physical activity and less likely to be sedentary. They were also more likely to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, rate their sleep as good or very good and were less likely to smoke. In other words, having a life purpose led to better self care.

This same study also looked at inflammatory biomarkers in the blood of study participates. These inflammatory markers are associated with accelerated aging, all cause mortality, cognitive decline, increased heart attacks and strokes. Specifically, the biomarkers used were: C-reactive protein, plasma fibrinogen, and white blood cell count. All were statistically lower in those with a strong sense of life purpose. These findings corroborate a previous study looking at another inflammatory marker – interleukin-6.

• People with a strong sense of life purpose are more resistant to depression and in extremely brutal situations more likely to survive as evident by the interviews conducted by Dr. Viktor Frankl of holocaust survivors in WWII. Frankl, a survivor of Auschwitz and author of Man’s Search for Meaning, showed that survivors of Nazi concentration camps weren’t necessarily the strongest physically, but generally possessed a stronger sense of life purpose.