Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Speaking of having a purpose

Most women I know over 60 have one purpose in life--the grandchildren and/or great grandchildren--men go another direction, either still working or they are on boards or the golf course. I don't have any of those in my life, and I'm not huge on volunteering (I have a few activities in that category). My FBF tell me posting at my blog or Facebook just won't count. But having a purpose is really good for you.

Sample of questions asked of participants in the study over 7 years.  "Effect of a Purpose in Life on Risk of Incident Alzheimer Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment in Community-Dwelling Older Persons" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2897172/ 
Statement
1I feel good when I think of what I have done in the past and what I hope to do in the future.
2I live life 1 day at a time and do not really think about the future.
3I tend to focus on the present because the future nearly always brings me problems.
4I have a sense of direction and purpose in life.
5My daily activities often seem trivial and unimportant to me.
6I used to set goals for myself, but that now seems like a waste of time.
7I enjoy making plans for the future and working them to a reality.
8I am an active person in carrying out the plans I set for myself.
9Some people wander aimlessly through life, but I am not one of them.
10I sometimes feel as if I have done all there is to do in life.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4054865/ 
"Cognitive and Social Lifestyle: Links with Neuropathology and Cognition in Late Life"  This article is more skeptical.

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