A purpose-driven life is whereby an individual lives a life which is meaningful in terms of the actions and daily activities. This kind of life has been seen to have a more fulfilling future and life to the individual. The article aims at educating the world on the importance of leading a meaningful life. Generally, everybody would wish to have a longer life, and for this to happen, one has to ensure that they have a purpose in their life. The current study and research indicate that purpose-driven life increases the longevity of individuals and is more fulfilling. Most of the research has shown a relationship between the survival of an individual and their life-purpose.
Hypothesis
The article was set to analyze and examine the purposefulness of life in relation to a better and longer life among individuals.
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Methodology
The research was conducted using a descriptive design. The current situation regarding the purpose-driven life and its effect on the longevity of an individual was well explained using the design. The research was conducted using a survey in which the participants were issued with questionnaires. The questionnaires contained questions about the purposefulness of each participant's life. The researchers also used the observational study in which the participants were part of a Health and Retirement Study that was conducted nationally (DiSalvo 2019).
The research was conducted in 2006, but the questions were reviewed later in 2011 to establish if the participants were still alive (DiSalvo 2019). However, 776 out of the 7000 participants who took part in the study had died by the year 2011(DiSalvo 2019). The study took five years to complete since a comparison had to be carried out to ensure the effectiveness of the results. The participants who took part in the survey were aged 50. The participants were not chosen based on gender.
Discussion
The researchers made a comparison between the life-purpose scores and the rates of mortality among the participants and the resulting findings were that; the participants who had low scores had a high probability of having high mortality rates while those who had high scores had a low probability of having high mortality rates. The link between the mortality rate and life-purpose is attributed to inflammation. This is because the kind of response the body has towards diseases and stress has an inflammatory effect that affects the individual both inside and out if not treated. For example, a study has shown that grief affects the sense of purpose of an individual, and it increases inflammation to levels that threaten life. This increases the mortality rate.
Depression, a factor that decreases the ability of an individual to have a sense of a purposeful life, is mainly brought about by inflammation in individuals with the condition. Depression and inflammation point out a strong link to high mortality rates. Management of inflammation levels among individuals has shown an increase in the length of the life of the individual. Being lonely could also cause inflammation and therefore, affect an individual's purpose in life, leading to the deterioration of health. The inability of an individual to work, care for their family, and maintenance of daily schedules that are essential in making a purposeful life could lead to a decline of their health. It is, therefore, vital that individuals avoid any factors that may cause a distraction in their purposeful life.
The research revealed several limitations of the study. First, the exclusion of people who had illnesses that were chronic or life-threatening diseases as they were seen as limitations of the lifespan of the individuals. Second, the study was observational, and it did not provide for the causes of the issue under investigation. Third, it is not guaranteed that forces outside those studied by the researchers did not influence the results. Lastly, the study did not establish exactly why the high mortality rates of the participants were linked to the lack or low purpose-driven life.
Conclusion
The article has important information for the community and the world at large regarding healthy living and longer life. The research was fairly done. The explanation for this is that the researchers could have integrated more methods of carrying out research to have more effective and reliable results. Use of questionnaires and observations are subject to bias and unreliability as the participants could have lied when answering the questions, and others would pretend when they realized they were being observed. The study on a purpose-driven life has benefits to anyone who may anticipate having a long life by ensuring that their life is purposeful. The study can also help individuals to avoid any factors such as stress, depression, and inflammation that may affect their general health, which is relative to their longevity.
One of the personal experiences of this topic was during moments of stress and grief. These moments disoriented my purpose in life. This led to a lack of direction and a sense of purpose in my life, which is linked to increasing the level of inflammation. The number of heartburns increased. This shows an agreement with the results of the study. My opinion on this topic is that the results of the research are beneficial to all and that the issue is educational, and I would wish that everyone gets to read it. Having a purpose-driven life, therefore, leads to a longer life.
Reference
D. DiSalvo. (2019). The purpose-driven life could also be a longer life. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/neuronarrative/201906/the-purpose-driven-life-could-also-be-longer-life
