Living Life on Purpose
"If you try to do only
for yourself, you'll only get so far in life. If you reach out to touch other
people, you can fix you own soul."—Bryan A. Wood, Combat Veteran
Another day. Do you find yourself stuck in a daily routine that makes life
feel like it's just another day? When I first retired, I felt excited about all
the extra free time. After a few months of retirement, I heard others say, "Gee
golfing every day left me feeling like there has to be more to life." All
my free time started to feel like it is just another day, no surprises, no
plans, no meaning. Uncomfortability is a sign for me to pay
attention, a time for opportunity and possibilities. As I suffered from this
feeling of another day, I returned to the thing I knew best; mindfulness,
awareness without judgment. I realized what I was missing was having a purpose,
a way to make a difference. So I researched the biology of having purpose as we
age. It turns out sharing our passion, talents, and love is good for our health
and longevity. I will share some of the studies below.
2003 Harvard, Mayo Clinic, and University of
Pittsburg study on the concept of "cognitive reserve."
- They studied 50 brains from people who had died. One
group of subjects had dementia while they were alive, and a control group had no symptoms of memory loss.
- They found some individuals from
the control group accumulated equivalent loads of plaques and
tangles as those found
in people diagnosed with Alzheimer's but did not experience dementia
symptoms while alive.
- Researchers
believe the brain abnormalities did not cause symptoms because these
individuals had "cognitive reserve." They define
cognitive reserve as extra neurons and stronger connections between
the neurons; formed because of their continued activity in projects they
felt were meaningful, activities they believed made positive differences
for others.
2009 Archives of General Psychiatry
report on a Johns Hopkins study on the importance of civic engagement for
elders
- They assigned a group of elders to participate in a
tutoring program for children in elementary schools in Baltimore.
After MRI brain scans, they found the participants who reported finding
meaning in helping children had better cognitive functioning, and their
hippocampus had less atrophy than the control group.
- After examining the brain tissue of 246 people who died
during a long-term study of more than 1400 older men and women, they found
some fascinating autopsy results.
- After retirement, individuals who were not involved in new activities showed a cognitive decline similar to Alzheimer's patients
but did not have the brain plaques and tangles typical to Alzheimer's.
- Some individuals who had brain plaques and tangles like
Alzheimer's did not have dementia symptoms. They had no memory loss. They were people who reported having purpose and meaning in life after retirement.
- The results indicated better brain functioning for people who reported having more purpose in their lives. Moreover, the results held up when controlled for differences in exercise levels,
education, and stress factors.
Dr. Majid Fotuhi, MD, Ph.D., author of Boost
Your Brain, reports that "having a purpose in life is one of the most
important factors for protecting your brain against cognitive decline.
- He states people with a high 'purpose in life score'
are more than twice as likely to stay sharp in their seventies and
eighties than those with a low score.
- Dr. Fotuhi states, "One possible reason is that
high score individuals have half as many strokes as the low score group.
They also have lower levels of stress hormones, higher levels of good
HDL cholesterol, less inflammation, better sleep, happier mood, and an
overall sense of wellbeing."
There seems to be interesting scientific
evidence showing the power of having continued purpose as we age. The results
of these studies have significant public health implications. According to the
Alzheimer's Association, more than five million Americans are currently living
with Alzheimer's. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.
Imagine if a drug could reduce dementia and stroke rates with the same numbers
as the purpose studies results, a drug with no adverse side effects. It
would become a best seller. Unfortunately, the number of people diagnosed with
Dementia-related diseases is rising, creating a significant strain on the
health care industry and Medicare. Dr. Richard Lipton of the Albert
Einstein College of Medicine found lifestyle changes to be more effective than
medication at reducing the risks of Alzheimer's. Richard Davidson from the
University of Wisconsin says, "I think that one of the important
insights from our work is that the mind can be transformed, that we all are
born with a capability for change. And that the seeds of living a compassionate
life within each of us."
Living your life purpose after retirement is one
of the best things you can do for your wellbeing. When you are living on
purpose, you will be healthy, happier, and be a contributor. You can have
another day living, different from the other. Finally, we have a reason to get
up in the morning.
Exercise:
- Every morning this week, set the intention to make a
positive difference in somebody's life, human or animal.
- At the end of the day, reflect on meaningful stories or events coming to your awareness.
- Begin to examine what it is you care about and want to
be a part of making a positive difference.
