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A Sense of Purpose:  An Essential Dimensions of Healthy Aging?

A crew from Hamilton Farm in West Brattleboro on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, spends roughly a week harvesting corn from a 20-acre field next to the West River. Photo by Kristopher Radder.
A crew from Hamilton Farm in West Brattleboro on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, spends roughly a week harvesting corn from a 20-acre field next to the West River. Photo by Kristopher Radder.
A crew from Hamilton Farm in West Brattleboro on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, spends roughly a week harvesting corn from a 20-acre field next to the West River. Photos by Kristopher Radder.

By Richard T. Houston, Vermont Maturity Magazine.

This is the fourth in a series of 2024 articles for Vermont Maturity on the topic of resilience. Previous articles have focused on the neuropsychology of the aging brain, personal agency – or what psychologists call ‘locus of control’ – and the powerful impact of our private self-narrative. We encourage readers to catch up on our insights on resilience in previous issues.

For this issue, we turn the editorial spotlight on a subject that has received increasing attention in the research on healthy aging: a sense of purpose. In the early and mid-decades of the 20th century, many people labored at industrial jobs that required rigorous physical effort. Retirement was perceived as a gift of relief from the physical exertion required to do the work successfully. Some people in the 2020’s still exert great physical effort in their work and retirement offers the same sense of relief. However, relief from hard labor does not necessarily translate into a sense of purpose in life.        

As the Information Age has come to dominate work life and computers are an essential tool for almost every job, the grind of exhausting physical labor has become less of a burden but perhaps the risk of continual boredom has accelerated.
Mark Fenwick of Guilford creates wood sculptures inside his home studio. He hopes to create a sculpture walk on his property.
Mike Fuller, a volunteer with the Hamilton Farm in West Brattleboro, keeps an eye on the corn while driving a tractor pulling a forage harvester as crews harvest the field near the West River.
The 10th annual Brattleboro on Wheels car show and cruise-in, presented by the Brattleboro Rotary Club, was held at the Retreat Farm.

In either case, retirement looms as a welcome retreat for people in their late fifties or sixties when they can sleep late, take naps, play golf, volunteer for a good cause and spend relaxed hours with grandchildren. However, a significant percentage of mature adults confront a vexing question: ‘what’s my mission in life now that I am retired?’ For many, the sense of a core purpose in life is missing.

Behavioral science research focused on healthy aging has identified a ‘personal mission’ as an important factor in a personal portfolio for mature adults. Two theories have emerged that may explain the importance of a personal mission or sense of purpose. 
1. Viktor Frankl, renowned Austrian psychologist, neurologist and Holocaust survivor, led a school of thought that focused on life’s meaning. He posited that a sense of purpose provided an individual with a stronger will to live and therefore, willing and able to encounter a greater range of experiences that involved stress, risk and discomfort. People in this category were more durable and, yes, resilient.

Research published by the National Institutes of Health report findings that people with a clear sense of purpose in life have fewer chronic diseases and enhanced life longevity.

The second factor that may impact auspicious life outcomes relates to the social networks that are developed and maintained while pursuing experiences associated with a personal sense of purpose. We have previously noted that the Harvard Study of Adult Development likely has the best set of longitudinal data on physical and psychological health over a nearly 100 year span. They have concluded that the health of an individual’s social network is likely the most important dimension of the healthy aging process. Whether a personal ‘life purpose’ involves volunteering at a hospital, pursuing advanced knowledge of bird habitats or learning the finer details of French cuisine, building friendships with people who have similar interests is likely one of the greatest benefits of the pursuit.   

What if your life lacks a compelling purpose at age 65 or 75? Reflect back on periods of your life when learning was truly exciting. Try on a couple of interests with friends. Take the time to explore areas that add value to the lives of others and spend an hour or two listening to friends who have an enthusiastic commitment to activities that they believe make their life meaningful.      

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Richard Houston is an energetic and curious ‘senior’ – in the best sense of the word – who enjoys writing about the psychological dimensions of healthy aging. He is a graduate of Brown University, holds a Doctorate in Education and was licensed by the Massachusetts Board of Psychology. He has a professional resume that includes work in over 30 countries.

We recommend readers look into a fascinating tutorial on the neuropsychology of healthy aging – currently available at no charge for a brief period. Readers may also be interested in pondering the question of personal legacy at Legacy-Bio.com

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