People Leading Purposeful Life are Less Likely to Feel Lonely

“A sense of purpose is this general perception that you have something leading and directing you from one day to the next,” Hill said. “It can be something like gardening, supporting your family, or achieving success at work.”

Elderly can also Cultivate Purpose to Overcome Loneliness

Many of the activities that can provide a sense of purpose – joining a club, volunteering at a school, playing in a sports league – involve interaction with others, which is one reason why a purpose-filled life tends to be less lonely. In the study, people who said they received or provided social support were especially likely to report feelings of purpose.

But Hill noted that there’s more to fighting loneliness than simply being around others. “We’ve all had time in our lives when we’ve felt lonely even though we weren’t actually alone.” There’s something about having a sense of purpose that seems to fight loneliness regardless of how many other people are involved, he said.

The study found a slight uptick in reports of loneliness for people in their 70s and beyond, an age when a sense of purpose can be especially important. “We’re trying to dispel the myth from previous generations that this is simply a time for retiring and resting,” Hill said. “There are no downsides to finding something meaningful later in life.”

Still, it’s important to keep in mind that a quest for purpose can be somewhat self-defeating if taken too seriously. “Feeling like you need to save the world can lead to existential Dread and distress,” Hill said. When it comes to purpose and meaning, even small things can matter. “It’s OK if someone else thinks that your purpose is trivial, as long as it’s meaningful to you.”

Reference :

1. Do associations between sense of purpose, social support, and loneliness differ across the adult lifespan? – (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36951694/)

Source: Eurekalert