Summary: A new study of over 13,000 adults found that having a strong sense of purpose in life is linked to a reduced risk of dementia. Those with higher purpose were 28% less likely to develop cognitive impairment, even when accounting for genetic risk and other factors.
The effect was consistent across racial and ethnic groups and modestly delayed the onset of decline by more than a month over eight years. The findings suggest that building purpose through relationships, goals, or meaningful activities may help keep the brain resilient with age.
Key Facts
- Lower Risk: Higher life purpose reduced dementia risk by 28%.
- Broad Benefit: Protective effects held across racial, ethnic, and genetic risk groups.
- Free & Accessible: Purpose offers a safe, low-cost protective factor compared to drugs.
Source: UC Davis
Research into Blue Zones — regions of the world where people tend to live longer — shows that having a sense of purpose in life may help people live longer.
Now, new research from UC Davis shows that having a sense of purpose in life may have another benefit as people age: reducing the risk of dementia.
The new study, published in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, followed over 13,000 adults aged 45 and older for up to 15 years.
Researchers found that people who reported a higher sense of purpose in life were about 28% less likely to develop cognitive impairment — including mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
The protective effect of having a purpose was seen across racial and ethnic groups. It also remained significant even after accounting for education, depression and the APOE4 gene, which is a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.
Purpose in life helps the brain stay resilient
“Our findings show that having a sense of purpose helps the brain stay resilient with age,” said Aliza Wingo, senior author and professor in the UC Davis Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
“Even for people with a genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease, sense of purpose was linked to a later onset and lower likelihood of developing dementia.”
Participants were not specifically asked about the activities that gave their life purpose. Previous studies on aging, though, have found a wide rang of activities give older adults a sense of life purpose, sometimes referred to as “ikigai.” These include:
- Relationships: Caring for family, spending time with grandchildren or supporting a spouse or friend.
- Work or volunteering: Continuing professional work, mentoring or contributing to community causes.
- Spirituality or faith: Religious beliefs, spiritual practices or involvement in faith-based communities.
- Personal goals: Pursuing hobbies, learning new skills or setting and achieving personal milestones.
- Helping others: Acts of kindness, philanthropy, caregiving or advocacy work.
Purpose delays onset of cognitive decline
Researchers also found that people with higher purpose tended to experience cognitive decline later than those with lower purpose. On average, the delay in onset was very modest — about 1.4 months over an eight-year period, after considering the effects of age, education, depressive symptoms, and genetic risk. However, it is meaningful when compared to current treatments.
“While medications like lecanemab and donanemab can modestly delay symptoms of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease, they come with risks and costs,” said Nicholas C. Howard, first author and public health researcher at UC Davis.
“Purpose in life is free, safe and accessible. It’s something people can build through relationships, goals and meaningful activities.”
Methods and limitations of study
Participants in the study were part of the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey funded by the National Institute on Aging. All had normal cognitive health at the beginning of the study.
Researchers used a seven-item survey from the Ryff Measures of Psychological Well-being.
Participants had six possible responses (from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”) for statements such as: “I am an active person in carrying out the plans I set for myself” and “I have a sense of direction and purpose in my life.”
Their answers were scored and averaged to obtain a well-being number between 1 and 6, with higher values indicating a strong sense of purpose in life.
Their cognitive health was tracked using a telephone-based test every two years.
The researchers noted the study has many strengths, including the size of the population studied. However, a key limitation is that although there was an association, the study did not prove higher levels of purpose caused the lowered rates of dementia.
Findings support role of psychological well-being
Still, the findings support the idea that psychological well-being plays a key role in healthy aging, said Thomas Wingo, a co-author of the study and a professor and neurologist at UC Davis Health. Wingo hopes future studies will explore whether purpose-building interventions can help prevent dementia.
“What’s exciting about this study is that people may be able to ‘think’ themselves into better health. Purpose in life is something we can nurture,” he said. “It’s never too early — or too late — to start thinking about what gives your life meaning.”
About this neurology and dementia research news
Author: Lisa Howard
Source: UC Davis
Contact: Lisa Howard – UC Davis
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Closed access.
“Life Purpose Lowers Risk for Cognitive Impairment in a United States Population-Based Cohort” by Aliza Wingo et al. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Abstract
Life Purpose Lowers Risk for Cognitive Impairment in a United States Population-Based Cohort
Objective
We investigated whether sense of purpose in life (PiL) is associated with a lower risk for and delayed onset of developing cognitive impairment in a diverse US population-based cohort.
Methods
Participants from the Health and Retirement Study aged 45 or older with normal cognitive performance at baseline and ≥ 2 subsequent objective cognitive assessments were included. Cognitive performance was objectively assessed biennially using the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (mTICS).
Cognitive impairment was defined as having two consecutive visits with mTICS scores below a psychometrically validated threshold consistent with mild cognitive impairment or dementia. PiL was assessed at baseline using a seven-item questionnaire. Cox Proportional Hazards was modelled to examine the association between PiL and cognitive impairment. Restricted Mean Survival Times was calculated to estimate delay in onset age for cognitive impairment.
Results
Of 13,765 participants, 1,820 (13%) developed cognitive impairment during follow-up (median of 8 years and up to 15 years). Those with higher PiL had significantly lower risk for developing cognitive impairment compared to those with lower PiL after adjusting for sex, baseline age, educational attainment, average depressive symptom score, and race/ethnicity (HR = 0.72, 95% CI: [0.63–0.82]).
This association remained significant after adjusting for APOE E4 in addition to the above covariates in a subset with genotyping data. Furthermore, participants with higher PiL had a later onset age for cognitive impairment compared to participants with lower PiL after accounting for these covariates.
Conclusion
Higher PiL was associated with approximately 28% lower risk for developing cognitive impairment and a later onset of cognitive impairment across the studied ethnic/racial groups, even among those with genetic risk for dementia. These findings indicate that fostering a sense of life purpose has the potential to reduce cognitive impairment and dementia risk.
