Why people in their sixties with a purpose in life are healthier
People in their sixties who experience their lives as purposeful have fewer inflammatory factors such as CRP in their blood than people in their sixties who think that their lives have no purpose. Because high CRP levels are bad for just about every facet of your health, living a purposeful life makes you healthier. Canadian psychologists at Concordia University followed 129 adults aged 63-91 for 6 years. The researchers used questionnaires every 2 years to determine how meaningful the study participants thought their lives were. The researchers also determined the concentration of the inflammatory protein CRP in the blood of the study participants. A lifestyle that lowers the concentration of inflammatory proteins such as CRP reduces the risk of premature death or chronic disease. The researchers wondered whether psychological factors also play a role in the activity of inflammatory proteins. They suspected that experiencing meaning and purpose in life reduces CRP con...