Researchers evaluated data from over 30,000 people from two separate investigations to arrive at their conclusions.
A higher feeling of purpose in life can help keep diseases like Alzheimer’s and other dementias at bay, according to a new study.
The study also discovered that after being diagnosed with dementia, a person’s feeling of purpose gradually declines.
“Life purpose is the sense that one’s life is goal-oriented and has direction.” Angelina Sutin, main author of the study published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Network Open, was reported by CNN as stating, “It is an important component of well-being.”
“Previous studies have found that individuals with more purpose are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias,” she explained in an email.
“Here, we look at the relationship between purpose and cognitive impairment in the other direction: does impairment have an impact on feeling purposeful?” she added.
Data from 30,000 people was analyzed.
Researchers evaluated data from over 30,000 people from two separate studies to arrive at the findings: the Health and Retirement Study, which ran from 2006 to 2021, and the National Health and Aging Trends Study, which ran from 2011 to 2021.
Participants in the study had several tests over the course of several years to determine both cognitive impairment and their feeling of purpose.
While there were signs of deteriorating sense of purpose prior to cognitive impairment, Sutin observed that the drop became noticeably faster once impairment was discovered.
According to Dr. Sam Fazio, senior director of quality care and psychosocial research at the Alzheimer’s Association, these findings are consistent with previous understanding about deteriorations in mental well-being following a diagnosis.
It’s worth emphasizing that the identification of impairment was based on cognitive tasks rather than a healthcare professional’s diagnosis.
Nonetheless, the results have high confidence due to the use of assessments that span more than a decade, with persistent trends found in both research groups.
The significance of life’s purpose
According to experts, it is crucial for an individual to have a strong sense of purpose in life.
“Apathy, the polar opposite of purpose in life, is a significant problem in dementia.” “People with dementia lose their motivation to participate in life,” Sutin explained.
“It is critically important for individuals to maintain their purpose in life in order to prevent or at least delay this apathy, which can reduce quality of life,” she noted.
