People searching for the meaning of life may be most likely to find it in their 60s.
Whether people find happiness in family, friends, their career or something else entirely, it could take until middle-age for them to fully appreciate it, scientists say.
Research surveyed more than 1,000 people in the US between the ages of 21 and over 100 and found those in the middle were most content with their lives.
And feeling that their life had purpose also made people physically and mentally healthier, the study found, and meant they were less likely to die young.
Health and a sense of purpose are ‘intimately linked’, the scientists said.
A new study from the University of California, San Diego has found that those who feel they’ve found purpose in life had better physical and mental well-being (file image)
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, said that being uncertain about your purpose in life into old age could take years off it, and vice versa.
‘Many think about the meaning and purpose in life from a philosophical perspective,’ said Dr Dilip Jeste, a psychiatry and neuroscience professor.
‘But meaning in life is associated with better health, wellness and perhaps longevity. Those with meaning in life are happier and healthier than those without it.’
For the study, which was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, the team looked at data from more than 1,000 adults.
The participants were taking part in an aging study in San Diego and their ages ranged from 21 to more than 100.
To determine whether or not the adults were searching for, or had found, meaning in life, they were asked to rate statements such as ‘I am seeking a purpose or mission for my life’ and ‘I have discovered a satisfying life purpose.’
Those who said they had found a meaning in life were found to be in better physical and mental health, although details on how this was measured were not as clear.
However, still searching for a purpose was linked to worse mental well-being and cognitive functioning.
And the link to health differed in those older and younger than 60 – the age at which the presence of meaning in life peaks and the search for it was at its lowest point.
‘When you are young, like in your twenties, you are unsure about your career, a life partner and who you are as a person. You are searching for meaning in life,’ Dr Jeste said.
‘As you start to get into your thirties, forties and fifties, you have more established relationships, maybe you are married and have a family and you’re settled in a career. The search decreases and the meaning in life increases.
‘After age 60, things begin to change.’
Most Americans retire between ages 60 and 65 and, just as developing a more stable career leads to a clearer sense of purpose, leaving that work behind can have the opposite effect.
‘People retire from their job and start to lose their identity,’ said Dr Jeste.
‘They start to develop health issues and some of their friends and family begin to pass away.
‘They start searching for the meaning in life again because the meaning they once had has changed.’
For future research, the team plans to examine other areas, including wisdom, loneliness and compassion, to see how these impact life meaning.
‘We also want to examine if some biomarkers of stress and aging are associated with searching and finding the meaning in life,’ Dr Jeste said.
‘It is an exciting time in this field as we are seeking to discover evidence-based answers to some of life’s most profound questions.’
Earlier this year, a study of almost 7,000 middle-aged Americans found those without a strong life purpose were more than twice as likely to die during a five-year period compared with those who had one – mostly from cardiovascular diseases.
The association remained despite how rich or poor participants were, and regardless of sex, race or education level.
It was so powerful that having a life purpose appeared to be more important for decreasing risk of death than drinking, smoking or exercising regularly.
