Overview
- The UC Davis analysis of more than 13,000 adults aged 45 and older tracked participants for up to 15 years using the Health and Retirement Study.
- Participants reporting higher life purpose were 28% less likely to develop cognitive impairment, including mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
- The association held across racial and ethnic groups and after adjusting for education, depressive symptoms, and the APOE4 genetic risk factor.
- Higher purpose was linked to a modest delay in decline, averaging about 1.4 months over an eight-year observation window.
- Authors and commentators describe purpose-building as a low-cost, accessible strategy worth testing, while noting the findings are observational and do not prove causation.