Research published in the Journal of Health Psychology has found that having a sense of purpose in life is linked to regular physical activity.

The study of 104 adults found that individuals with a stronger sense of purpose in life also engaged in more physical activity, as measured by an accelerometer.

PsyPost interviewed Stephanie A. Hooker of the University of Colorado-Denver about her research. Read her responses below:

PsyPost: Why were you interested in this topic?

Hooker: I am interested in factors related to long-term maintenance of physical activity. We know that for many adults, staying regularly physically active is challenging. Understanding these psychological factors related to regular physical activity could help us develop better interventions to help adults maintain regular physical activity.

What should the average person take away from your study?

When making decisions about new habits or behaviors (in this case, physical activity), it may be important to make an explicit connection between those behaviors to what is valuable or important to you. For example, how is physical activity related to what is truly valuable or important in your life? If your purpose is related to work, maybe regular activity will increase your energy and focus on your work. If family is important, maybe physical activity will improve your overall health and well-being and increase the amount of quality time you can spend with your family.

Are there any major caveats? What questions still need to be addressed?

The major caveat of this study is that it is cross-sectional. We cannot establish causality. That means that we do not know if people who are more physically activity have a greater sense of purpose in life or if having a sense of purpose in life increases physical activity. We suspect that it is likely a bit of both. However, more research needs to be done to clarify that relationship.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We are continuing to explore how a sense of purpose in life is related to health and well-being, and we are excited about this line of research.

In addition to Hooker, the study “Purpose in life is associated with physical activity measured by accelerometer” was co-authored by Kevin S. Masters