Living With Purpose May Protect Your Brain From Dementia, Shows Huge New Study

Living With Purpose May Protect Your Brain From Dementia, Shows Huge New Study

Living With Purpose May Protect Your Brain From Dementia, Shows Huge New Study By Fellipe Ditadi / Unsplash+ By Lisa Howard Previous studies into regions of the world where people tend to live longer has shown that having a sense of purpose in life may help people live longer. Now, new research from the University of California in Davis shows that having a sense of purpose in life may have another benefit as people age: reducing the risk of dementia. The new study, published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, followed over 13,000 adults aged 45 and older for up to 15 years. Researchers found that people who reported a higher sense of purpose in life were about 28% less likely to develop cognitive impairment—including mild cognitive impairment and dementia. The protective effect of having a purpose was seen across racial and ethnic groups. It also remained significant even after accounting for education, depression, and the APOE4 gene, which is a known risk factor for Alzheimer’…