Meaning and purpose

Meaning is the sense that your life makes sense and matters. Purpose is the sense that you have direction, something to get up for. Both are part of what researchers call the "functioning well" side of wellbeing.

You do not need a grand mission to have them. For many people, meaning comes from ordinary things: caring for someone, doing good work, faith, learning, making something or being part of a community. This page looks at research on purpose, health and volunteering. It also offers gentle ways to find or rebuild meaning at any age. It is not about telling you what your life should mean. That is yours to decide.

What are meaning and purpose?

Psychologist Carol Ryff's model of psychological wellbeing includes purposeful engagement in life, realizing your talents and capacities, and knowing yourself. Her review of more than two decades of research found growing evidence that this kind of wellbeing helps protect health and lengthen life.¹

A review in The Lancet calls this side of wellbeing eudaimonic wellbeing: a sense of purpose and meaning in life. It is different from life satisfaction (how you judge your life) and from day-to-day feelings.² See What is wellbeing?

People often find meaning in a few broad places:

• Connection: loving and being loved, and belonging to a family, group or community
• Contribution: helping others, caring for someone, or doing work that matters to someone
• Growth: learning, creating, building skills, or facing a challenge
• Something larger: faith, spiritual practice, nature, a cause, or passing on what you know

Purpose and health: what the studies show

Several large studies have followed people for years to see whether purpose relates to health.

Purpose and length of life. A study of 6,985 U.S. adults over 50 measured their sense of purpose in 2006 and followed them to 2010. People in the lowest purpose group were more than twice as likely to die during that time as people in the highest group. The strongest link was with deaths from heart and blood vessel conditions.³

Pooled evidence. A review combined 10 long-term studies with more than 136,000 people. People with a higher sense of purpose had about a 17% lower risk of dying from any cause during the studies. They also had a lower risk of cardiovascular events, meaning problems such as heart attack or stroke.⁴

Purpose and memory. A study of 951 older adults in the Chicago area without dementia followed them for up to seven years. A person with a high purpose score was about 2.4 times more likely to stay free of Alzheimer's disease than a person with a low score. People with more purpose also had a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment (early memory and thinking problems) and slower decline in thinking skills.⁵

Wellbeing and survival in later life. A long-running study followed older adults in England for about eight and a half years. About 29% of those with the lowest sense of purpose and meaning died in that time. Only about 9% of those with the highest sense died.²

Volunteering and helping others

Volunteering is one of the most studied ways people find purpose.

• A 2013 review of 40 papers found that in long-term studies, volunteers had less depression, higher life satisfaction and better wellbeing. They also had a lower risk of death, by about a fifth.⁶ But five small trials with 308 people did not confirm the mental health benefits. Some studies hinted that steady, ongoing volunteering mattered more than now-and-then volunteering, but the evidence on how much or what kind was not consistent.⁶
• A 2014 review of 73 papers focused on older adults. Volunteering was most consistently linked with fewer symptoms of depression, better self-rated health, fewer physical limits and a longer life. Only one of the studies was a randomized trial.⁷
• A 2020 U.S. study followed 12,998 adults over 50. People who volunteered 100 or more hours a year (about two hours a week) had a lower risk of death and physical limits four years later. They also reported more optimism, purpose and positive feelings, and less loneliness, hopelessness and depressive symptoms. Volunteering was not linked with many other outcomes, such as most chronic diseases or life satisfaction.⁸

Helping does not have to be formal. A review of 201 studies found that informal helping, such as checking on a neighbor, was linked with more wellbeing benefit than formal helping. The link was stronger for meaning and purpose than for pleasant feelings.¹⁰

Values and committed action

In acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), values are the directions you want your life to take, such as being a caring parent, a loyal friend or a curious learner. Committed action means taking small, concrete steps in those directions, even when fear, sadness or doubt come along.

Values are different from goals. A goal can be finished, like "visit my sister in May." A value is ongoing, like "being close to family." You can act on a value today, even when a bigger goal is out of reach.

ACT as a whole has been tested in many trials. A review looked at 39 randomized trials with 1,821 people who had a range of mental and physical health problems. ACT worked better than waitlists, placebo talk sessions and usual care. It worked about as well as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).⁹ These trials tested the full therapy, not values work alone.

To try it yourself:

• ACT lesson 1: finding your values
• ACT lesson 5: committed action
• The Values Compass tool
• Behavioral activation lesson 2: values and activities

Ways to find meaning at any age

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) notes that hobbies, volunteering and time with others may support healthy aging. It adds that studies link purpose and life satisfaction with living longer. It adds an important point: these activities should be enjoyable, not stressful.¹¹

Here are some gentle places to start. Take what fits and leave the rest.

1. Notice what already matters. Think of a recent moment when you felt useful, moved or fully engaged. What were you doing, and who was there?
2. Name one value. Use the Values Compass, or finish the sentence "I want to be someone who..."
3. Take one small step this week that fits that value. Call someone, teach a skill, plant something, or offer help.
4. Connect with others. Meaning often grows in shared activities, like a class, choir, faith community, club or volunteer group.
5. Tell your story. Looking back on your life, its hard parts and good parts, can bring a sense of meaning. See Reminiscence and life review.
6. Keep learning. A new skill, language or hobby can bring a sense of growth at any age.
7. Be patient. Meaning often shows up after you start doing things, not before.

When meaning feels lost

Big changes can shake your sense of purpose. Retirement, children moving away, the death of a spouse, illness, or giving up driving can all leave a gap. Feeling lost for a while after a change like this is common, and it often eases as new roles and routines form.

But if emptiness, hopelessness or a sense that nothing matters lasts more than two weeks, it may be depression. Depression can make it very hard to feel meaning, and it is treatable. Take our depression check-in or talk with your doctor. See Depression and Grief.

Notes for older adults

Later life can bring both losses and new freedom to choose what matters. Many older adults find meaning in family, faith, mentoring younger people, volunteering and passing on stories and skills. Several of the purpose and volunteering studies above were done in adults over 50.^3,7,8

For more, see Purpose and meaning, Finding purpose in later life, Retirement and mental health and Wellbeing and resilience in later life.

Common questions

Do I need a single big purpose?

No. Many people have several smaller sources of meaning, and they can change over time. Purpose can be as simple as caring for a pet, helping a neighbor or keeping a garden.

Can volunteering replace treatment for depression?

No. Volunteering may support wellbeing, but trials have not shown that it treats depression.⁶ If you have depression, volunteering can sit alongside therapy or medicine, not replace it.

Education only. This page is general information written from the sources listed. It is not medical, legal or financial advice and does not replace a doctor, therapist or lawyer who knows your situation. How we write and check pages.