It seems as it’s something from folklore to take the position that having a purpose in life could help your heart health. However, there is now scientific evidence to point to the possibility that a having a sense of purpose in life may protect your heart from disease reports Mount Sinai Medical Center via Newswise. A new study by researchers at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai Roosevelt has showed that having a high sense of purpose in life may decrease your risk of heart disease and death.
In this analysis a sense of purpose in life has been defined as a sense of meaning and direction along with feelings that life is intrinsically worth living. In past research a sense of purpose in life has been associated with psychological health and well-being.
In this new study it was observed that a high sense of purpose in life is associated with a 23 percent decrease in death from all causes. A 19 percent lowered risk of heart attack and stroke was noted with a sense of purpose on life. There was a similar decrease in the need for coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) or a cardiac stenting procedure.
Lead study author Randy Cohen, MD says that your heart health could be protected by developing and refining your sense of purpose in life. This could potentially save your life. It was seen in this study that there is a powerful association between having a sense of purpose in life and protection from death or having a cardiovascular event.
HealthDay reports new research shows that living your life with a strong sense of purpose in life may really lower your risk for early death, heart attack or stroke. Dr. Cohen points out that psychosocial conditions such as anxiety, depression, chronic stress and social isolation have powerful associations with heart disease and mortality.
There has recently been a focus on the impact which positive emotions may have on overall health and well-being. So if you really care for someone you should help them nurture a strong sense of purpose in life to give them a better chance of good health and a long life.
