Travel & Lifestyle: Study Shows Finding Purpose May Cut Your Dementia Risk

Dementia is a heartbreaking disease that affects not only 7 million people (and that number is growing), but their loved ones, too. With dementia symptoms including speech problems, memory loss, mood changes, difficulty completing tasks and more, it’s no wonder that many of us try to avoid the disease if at all possible and help our friends and family do the same.

When it comes to factors that can lower dementia risk, experts point to many examples, such as keeping your brain active, exercising, spending time with others and even doing chores. And according to a 2025 study in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, there’s a new factor to add: having a sense of purpose.

Following over 13,000 adults ages 45 and older for up to 15 years, the study found that people who reported a higher sense of purpose in life were roughly 28% less likely to develop cognitive impairment, including dementia.

While holding onto that hope and staying updated on current research is important, it’s also important to note this is a case of correlation, not causation.

“Causality is not addressed or shown,” said Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl, professor of neurology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and founder and inventor of CleopatraRx. “This is a ‘chicken or the egg’ scenario.” (Voskuhl was not involved in the study.)

In other words, we don’t know whether feeling purposeful reduces dementia risk, or whether experiencing fewer dementia symptoms helps people feel purposeful. With that said, the point still stands: Finding and feeling your purpose in life is vital.

“This should not discourage people from focusing on finding a purpose in life because often in science, it is option three: both,” Voskhul continued. “Two things can interact with each other to escalate upward or spiral downward.”

Ahead, experts explain the science behind this study’s findings and how to discover your purpose.

In short, feeling purposeful can increase the activation of and motivation to engage in healthy behaviors, which promotes brain health.

“A sense of purpose may promote healthier behaviors, such as increased physical activity, better sleep and social engagement,” said Dr. George Hennawi, the physician executive director of geriatrics and senior services at MedStar Health. Hennawi was not associated with the study. “Naturally, it reduces loneliness and depressive symptoms and promotes resilience to stress, all of which are known to support cognitive health and reduce dementia risk.”

Voskuhl agreed. “The feeling of having a purpose in life gets people to interact more with their surroundings, physically by going out and doing things, or mentally by reading and engaging at home,” she said. “Such interactions can serve as cognitive exercise or training, keeping one in better mental shape.”

Think about it: When you feel a sense of purpose, you want to act on that purpose. You feel good about yourself when you get things done. Your mood is in a good place, so it’s easier to, say, make yourself go to the gym or finish a basket of laundry.

Other science tidbits and research emphasize the validity of this finding. For starters, there’s the matter of neuroplasticity, or how your brain can change and adapt (in a positive way) in response to new experiences and influences. By engaging in activities, such as exercise and social connections, you can not only feel more purposeful but also boost your brain health.

Spirit and mood are other explanations, according to Voskuhl. She’s found that feeling purposeful can uplift those, which is also beneficial for your mind.

“Just as the brain relies on the heart in a tangible way to pump blood to it, the mind depends on the spirit for intangible support,” she explained. “For example, some chemicals in the brain change when one is happy versus sad.”

You may already feel a sense of purpose rooted in your identity, religion, job or something else. You may feel purposeful when you’re parenting, leading a small group at your church or working hard at your job, for example.

If not, that doesn’t mean you don’t have purpose — everyone does. So how can you figure out yours?

For Voskuhl, it’s about staying open-minded and trying new things. “To remain ‘young at heart’ is to be curious, to learn and explore,” she said. “This can lead to things that catch their imagination, things they can find purpose in doing.”

Hennawi said there are “multiple steps, keeping in mind the importance of tailoring the recommendations to the individual’s interest and abilities, to sustain engagement.”

Examples he provided include:

• Keeping your mind active with things like chess, reading and brain games.
• Doing artsy activities, such as painting, drawing and listening to or playing music.
• Engaging in lifestyle interventions, such as exercise groups, cooking and social engagement.

These activities promote health and boost dopamine levels, which help a person feel happy and rewarded.

“I would add that I try to promote a sense of purpose even for my patients that already experienced a cognitive decline, with activities such as reminiscence, creating picture albums, music from the past, movies and books from a specific era,” he added.

Other factors associated with feeling purpose are time, schooling, community and — for better or for worse — strong political views.

Additionally, a study in Frontiers in Psychology calls this process “life-crafting.” The authors suggest discovering your values and passions, reflecting on your current and desired competencies and habits, thinking about your social life and a possible future career, writing about the ideal future, recording specific goals, making contingency plans, and committing to the goals you set.

All of that to say, while the idea of “feeling purposeful” or “finding your purpose” can sound big, scary and existential, it doesn’t have to be impossible (or even all that hard). Basically, lean into your interests, skills, relationships, positive traits and values, and you may already be well on your way to a lowered risk of dementia.