WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE PURPOSE

New research shows that people with goals were less lonely and made better health decisions during COVID.

Purpose in life, or a sense that your life is guided by personally meaningful values and goals – which could involve things such as family, religion, career or artistic ambitions – has been associated in prior research with a wide range of positive health outcomes, both physical and psychological. Now new research from the Communication Neuroscience Lab at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania has also found that people who felt a strong sense of purpose in life were less lonely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, people with a stronger sense of purpose also expressed more willingness to engage in social distancing, hand washing, and other COVID-19 protective behaviours.

“In the face of adversity, people with a stronger sense of purpose in life tend to be more resilient because they have a clear sense of goals that motivate actions that are aligned with personal values,” says Yoona Kang, PhD, lead author and a Research Director of the Communication Neuroscience Lab. “People with strong purpose may also experience less conflict when making health decisions.

“We felt that the COVID-19 pandemic was an important context to test whether purpose in life relates to individuals’ willingness to engage in behaviors to protect themselves and others.

“When faced with extreme loneliness and social isolation, like during the COVID-19 pandemic, wanting to connect with other people, despite the health risks, is a natural response,” says Kang. “And yet, amidst this drastic shift in social life, we found that people with a higher sense of purpose were more likely to engage in prevention behaviors. This is striking because it shows that purpose in life can empower people to make life-saving health decisions that protect their own health and those around them.”