{"id":28813,"date":"2025-08-26T19:51:03","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T19:51:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=28813"},"modified":"2025-08-26T19:51:04","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T19:51:04","slug":"sense-of-purpose-may-lower-risk-of-dementia-new-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/sense-of-purpose-may-lower-risk-of-dementia-new-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Sense of Purpose May Lower Risk of Dementia: New Study"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">New research from UC Davis suggests that having a sense of purpose in life can reduce the risk of dementia in older adults. The study followed over 13,000 participants and found a 28% lower likelihood of cognitive impairment among those with higher life purpose.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Groundbreaking research from the University of California, Davis, indicates that having a strong sense of purpose in life may significantly reduce the risk of dementia as people age. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/linkinghub.elsevier.com\/retrieve\/pii\/S1064748125003549\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Published<\/a> in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, the study followed over 13,000 adults aged 45 and older for up to 15 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The researchers discovered that participants who reported a higher sense of purpose were about 28% less likely to develop cognitive impairment, including mild cognitive impairment and dementia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Importantly, this protective effect was consistent across various racial and ethnic groups, and persisted even after adjusting for factors such as education, depression and the presence of the APOE4 gene, a known risk factor for Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Our findings show that having a sense of purpose helps the brain stay resilient with age,&#8221; senior author Aliza Wingo, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, said in a news release. &#8220;Even for people with a genetic risk for Alzheimer\u2019s disease, sense of purpose was linked to a later onset and lower likelihood of developing dementia.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study utilized data from the <a href=\"https:\/\/hrs.isr.umich.edu\/about\">Health and Retirement Study<\/a>, funded by the National Institute on Aging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The participants\u2019 sense of purpose was assessed using the \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/sparqtools.org\/mobility-measure\/psychological-wellbeing-scale\/\">Ryff Measures of Psychological Well-being<\/a>, which includes statements like, &#8220;I have a sense of direction and purpose in my life.&#8221; Higher scores indicated a stronger sense of purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The participants&#8217; cognitive health was monitored biennially through telephone-based tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the delay in onset of cognitive decline associated with higher purpose was modest \u2014 about 1.4 months over an eight-year period \u2014 it was still significant when compared to the minimal benefits and potential risks of current Alzheimer&#8217;s treatments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhile medications like lecanemab and donanemab can modestly delay symptoms of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer\u2019s disease, they come with risks and costs,&#8221; added first author Nicholas C. Howard, a public health researcher at UC Davis. &#8220;Purpose in life is free, safe and accessible. It\u2019s something people can build through relationships, goals and meaningful activities.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Studies on aging have identified numerous activities that older adults find purposeful, often referred to as \u201cikigai.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These activities include caring for family, engaging in professional work or volunteering, participating in spiritual practices, pursuing personal hobbies, and helping others through acts of kindness or advocacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the promising findings, the researchers acknowledge that the study demonstrates an association rather than causation. However, the sizable population and robust data collection methods lend credibility to the outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;What\u2019s exciting about this study is that people may be able to \u2018think\u2019 themselves into better health. Purpose in life is something we can nurture,&#8221; added co-author Thomas Wingo, a professor and neurologist at UC Davis Health. &#8220;It\u2019s never too early \u2014 or too late \u2014 to start thinking about what gives your life meaning.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/health.ucdavis.edu\/news\/headlines\/having-a-sense-of-purpose-may-protect-against-dementia\/2025\/08\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">UC Davis Health<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Groundbreaking research from the University of California, Davis, indicates that having a strong sense of purpose in life may significantly reduce the risk of dementia as people age. Published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, the study followed over 13,000 adults aged 45 and older for up to 15 years. The researchers discovered that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[295],"class_list":["post-28813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mental-health","tag-uc-davis"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Groundbreaking research from the University of California, Davis, indicates that having a strong sense of purpose in life may significantly reduce the risk of dementia as people age. Published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, the study followed over 13,000 adults aged 45 and older for up to 15 years. The researchers discovered that&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28813"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28847,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28813\/revisions\/28847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}