A sense of purpose and meaning lowers the risk of a heart attack or stroke, and also reduces your chances of needing coronary bypass surgery.
People with “a high sense of purpose” are 23 per cent less likely to die prematurely from any disease, and have a 19 per cent reduced risk for heart attack or stroke, say researchers from Mount Sinai Medical Centre.
They define a purpose in life as “a sense of meaning and direction, and a feeling that life is worthwhile.” And having one has a significant impact on our health and longevity, as they discovered when they analysed 10 previous studies that involved more than 137,000 people. The converse is also true, they found: those with a low sense of purpose, or who view life as meaningless, are more likely to die prematurely or suffer a heart attack or stroke.
(Source: Mount Sinai Medical Center website)
