Defining Purpose
Purpose is personal; it can mean different things to different people. This includes researchers who study it and its applications. Below are two definitions of purpose we think are important.
Which definition of purpose do you align with more?
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This definition of purpose comes from researchers Damon, Menon, & Bronk (2003). Their idea of purpose is based on altruism, as opposed to something more individual.
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This definition of purpose comes from researchers McKnight and Kashdan (2009). To them, purpose is a [BLANK] that guides our lives.
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Why move to a blue zone when you can have purpose? Researchers found that people who have stronger life purposes tend to live longer than those who don’t (Cohen et al., 2016).
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Yep, that’s right. People with higher senses of purpose tend to have greater household income and net worth. They’re also more likely to increase both of these measures over 9 years (Hill et al., 2016).
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In a study conducted with teenagers, it was found that having a strong purpose resulted in greater daily positive emotions (Burrow & Hill, 2011).
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Having a greater sense of purpose can help people avoid things that counter what they care about. Kang et al. found that on days when adults felt more purposeful, they drank less, even when exposed to alcohol consumption cues (2022).
Purpose is in everything
Research has shown that purpose affects a broad range of outcomes. Here are a few examples: