New research says that having a sense of purpose may help you live a longer life
theweathernetwork.com
Tuesday, May 13, 2014, 12:39 PM - Finding your purpose in life may be really important, not just so that you have a goal to work towards, but for adding years to your life at any age.
Researchers at Ottawa's Carleton University studied more than 6000 people over 14 years and found that those who said they had a purpose or direction to their lives lived longer regardless of the age when they discovered that purpose. That's in comparison to those who said they had less direction or fewer goals.
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The research, published this week in the journal Psychological Science, looks at how the benefits of having a life purpose might vary over a lifetime.
And the thing they found most surprising was that having a life purpose benefited young, middle aged and older people equally.
The findings suggest however, that people may get the maximum benefits of this the earlier they find purpose or direction.
