Module 12 · Resilience, purpose & growth · Moderate evidence

Purpose and meaning

Having reasons that matter to you is linked with wellbeing. Where purpose comes from.

8 min read · Level: Practising · Free — no account needed to read

The idea

Having a sense of purpose — reasons that matter to you, things you are working toward or contributing to — is linked with wellbeing. Some large studies have found that people with a stronger sense of purpose tend to live longer and cope better with stress, though the reasons are still debated.

Purpose doesn’t have to be grand. It can come from caring for family, doing good work, creating something, learning, helping others, faith, community, or simply living by your values each day. Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, writing after surviving the Holocaust, argued that people can find meaning even in suffering, in how they respond to it.

Meaning is often found rather than decided: noticing what feels worthwhile, who you want to help, and what you would like to have contributed. It can change across a life, and it is normal to feel unsure about it for a while.

Why it works

Purpose gives effort a reason and hard times a context. It is one of the deepest sources of wellbeing.

A real example

The situation

After his children leave home, Rashid feels a sense of emptiness and wonders what his days are for.

What happened

He reflects on what has always felt worthwhile: teaching and helping young people. He starts mentoring students at a local college one afternoon a week. The emptiness gives way to a sense of contributing again.

The takeaway

Purpose came from noticing what had always mattered and finding a new way to do it.

Use this when you are…

• you wonder what your days are for
• after a big life change
• wanting a deeper reason for your efforts

Common mistakes

• Believing purpose must be a single grand mission.
• Waiting to discover purpose before acting.
• Assuming feeling unsure means something is wrong with you.

What the evidence says

Moderate evidence: Several studies support it, but the effects are smaller, the studies are fewer or less rigorous, or results vary between groups.

Research, including large studies of older adults, links a sense of purpose with better health and longevity, and meaning is a key part of wellbeing research. Most studies are observational, and the causal pathways are uncertain.

Where this comes from: Gratitude, purpose and wellbeing research; Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) research.

Fields that study this: Clinical psychology, Public health.

Try it now: Three meaning questions

1. Write: when do I feel most useful or worthwhile?
2. Write: who or what do I want to help or contribute to?
3. Write one small way to do more of that this month.

Practise with a guided technique

• Values check — (10 min · Moderate evidence)
• Three good things — (3–5 min · Moderate evidence)

Questions to think about

• What makes your life feel worthwhile?
• What would you like to have contributed, looking back years from now?

Try this today

Spend a few minutes today on something that feels genuinely worthwhile to you.

Afterwards, ask yourself

What did reflecting on meaning show you?

Words in this lesson

• Values — What you want your life to stand for — directions you can keep moving in, like kindness, honesty or learning, rather than goals you finish.