Finding a purpose in life linked to longer lives

A study suggests that having a purpose in life may decrease your risk of dying early.

Researchers analyzed data from nearly 6985 adults between the ages of 51 and 61 who filled out psychological questionnaires on the relationship between mortality and life purpose.

People who lacked a sense of strong life purpose, which the researchers defined as "a self-organizing life aim that stimulates goals”, were more likely to die than those who did , with the most common cause cardiovascular disease.

People without a strong life purpose were more than twice as likely to die between the evaluated years that spanned from 2006 and 2010.

The association between purpose and mortality was not affected by the person’s household income, gender, race, or educational level. Researchers indicated that having a purpose was more important than having regular exercise or a healthy lifestyle.