At last, we have something to fight with loneliness, it seems. Having a sense of purpose in life may be a powerful barrier against loneliness, reveals a new study with more than 2,300 Swiss adults. The report was published recently in the journal Psychology and Aging.
Dangers of Loneliness
Regardless of the level of social contact an individual enjoys, loneliness is the sensation of being alone. A lack of social relationships is known as social isolation. Some people might feel lonely owing to social isolation, whereas some others can have the same feeling without being socially isolated.
According to a report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), USA, nearly one-fourth of persons 65 and older are deemed to be socially isolated, while more than one-third of individuals aged 45 and above report feeling lonely. Because they are more prone to experience issues including living alone, losing friends or family, having a chronic condition, and hearing loss, older persons are more likely to experience loneliness and social isolation.
According to Hill, an author of the published article, loneliness is one of the most significant psychological indicators of health issues, cognitive decline, and early mortality. It might be just as detrimental to your health as smoking or eating poorly, according to studies.
The Study on Swiss Adults
The published study by Patrick Hill, associate professor of psychological and brain sciences was performed by surveying over 2,300 adults in Switzerland. Its findings suggest that the feelings of loneliness were reduced in individuals with a purposeful life, irrespective of the age of the individual. Mathias Allem from the University of Zurich in Switzerland and Gabriel Olaru from Tilburg University in the Netherlands co-authored the article in Psychology and Aging.
Over the course of four weeks, research participants were asked to score their feelings of isolation, loneliness, lack of companionship, and being “left out or passed over”. Additionally, they took the Life Engagement Test, which required participants to rate several statements regarding the presence of some sort of purpose in their lives.
Sense of Purpose in Life
Hill states that a sense of purpose is the overall perception that there is something guiding and leading you from one day to the next. It could be something like gardening, providing for your family, or succeeding at work.
A life with a purpose tends to be less lonely because several of the activities that might confer a feeling of purpose—joining a group, volunteering at a school, participating in a sports league—involve social contact. People who reported receiving or giving social assistance were more likely to report having a sense of purpose in the research.
However, Hill pointed out that social interaction is only one aspect of overcoming loneliness. We’ve all had times in our lives when, while not being alone, we felt lonely. No matter how many people are involved, he claimed that something about having a feeling of purpose tends to combat loneliness.
Retire from your job, not from the Purpose
The research also found that those in their 70s and older reported feeling lonely on average somewhat more frequently. A feeling of purpose may be especially beneficial for this age group as it may help shatter the myth that retirement and leisure are the only activities available at this time of life. The sense of purpose can be realized later in life, it’s perfectly fine, claims Hill.
He also emphasized that even the smallest details may have a big impact on meaning and purpose. As long as your purpose is important to you, it doesn’t matter if other people find it trivial. However, it’s crucial to remember that if taken too seriously, a search for purpose can be fairly self-defeating. Feeling as though you must save the world can cause existential anxiety and misery, according to Hill.
