What is your purpose? Having a purpose in life—whether big or small, self- or other-oriented, compatible with your organization or not—is hugely protective of your health and well-being.

The Data Dive: As part of a continuing series, researchers from the Korn Ferry Institute will conduct studies and review other research to help unlock timely workplace issues on corporate leaders’ minds.

What is your purpose?

Purpose IP, developed by the Korn Ferry Institute, shows that a

strong sense of purpose correlates with work engagement and

organizational commitment. Biomedical research confirms that

having a purpose also allows you to live longer, and live better—

and thus, be your best self at work.

In a recent Korn Ferry Institute study of 233 European CEOs, board

members, and futurists, nearly three-quarters (74%) said that a genuine

sense of mission and purpose will be vital for the CEO of the future.

Compare that to, say, tech savviness, which only 30% of these leaders

identified as important.

What is your purpose? “To learn how people become their best.”

“To demonstrate making the first 1% change.”

“To make frameworks, systems, and approaches that enable people to learn,

grow, and develop as they choose.”

No matter what your purpose, having a strong sense of it positively correlates to

longevity. A 2016 meta-analysis published in Psychosomatic Medicine showed that

having a purpose in life significantly reduced all-cause mortality. In fact, one study

examined by the researchers found that people with a strong sense of purpose had a

43% lower mortality risk than those with weaker sense of purpose. A similar study

discovered that, for every 1-point increase in purpose, the risk of dying from any

mortality cause diminished by 15%.

What’s more, a purposeful life leads to a higher-quality life, not just a longer one.

Research shows that having a purpose in life reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease,

heart disease, sleep problems, and stroke. In one study, for example, people with a

strong purpose were about 2.4 times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those with

weak ones. Studies also show that strong sense of purpose can improve cognitive

function, which means becoming purposeful could help people improve their action

planning and decision making.

Future leaders will be more purpose-driven.

In a recent Korn Ferry Institute study of 233 European CEOs, board members, and

futurists, nearly three-quarters (74%) said that a genuine sense of mission and purpose

will be vital for the CEO of the future. Compare that to, say, tech savviness, which only

30% of these leaders identified as important.

Meaning making is one of the essential human motives. People want to know why they

are doing what they are doing. And increasingly, CEOs are in a position to ask, “How do

we want to live as a society?”, using that vision to drive and shape the future. In

essence, CEOs in 2025 will be chief meaning-making officers.

But how CEOs show up as leaders must be supported by and aligned with how they are

as people on the inside. Explained one British CEO interviewed by Korn Ferry, “The

[CEOs] with purpose at their heart, the ones with a clear sense of where they’re going

and the ability to change and not be stayed by change are doing well and growing well.”

Chicken or egg: does it matter?

Is it that people who are already healthy and happy have the time and energy to focus

more on their sense of purpose? Or does having a purpose lead people to generally act

in healthier ways? The answer is, as it often is in the social sciences: a mix of both.

At the behavioral level, people with a stronger sense of purpose engage more frequently

in health-promoting behaviors, such as sensible eating, using preventative health care,

and fewer health-compromising behaviors, such as smoking and binge drinking.

Indeed, multiple studies found that purposeful people are more active, both physically

and socially. Plus, research shows that purpose serves as a buffer in stressful times:

biologically, purpose has been linked to reduced levels of IL-6, one of the markers of

inflammation, a damaging condition that acts like a slow-burning fire, destroying healthy

tissue.

The purpose promise.

Happier. Healthier. Wiser. Not only does fulfilling a purpose impact job performance, it

can also boost one’s entire well-being.

Purpose supports hope, resilience, and intrinsic motivation. People who have a strong

purpose are better able to achieve success in an uncertain world. They can better

weather storms, cope with stress, and rise above difficult times. Purpose is a constant in

a fast-changing environment—a core principle to inform choices.

When people are allowed the opportunity to fulfil their personal purpose, they become

more engaged with and committed to their work—and their life. They can be deliberate

about what they do and how they do it in a way that expresses their values. They can

recognize their unique talents and use them for greater impact.

And when people live their purposes, the feeling of self-fulfilment never dries out.

Help yourself to Korn Ferry’s new Purpose IP

1. Do you know what you are most passionate about in your life?

2. Does your personal purpose fit into your organization’s mission?

3. Do you give up some things to do other things that you’re more passionate

about?

4. Does working in your organization give you opportunities to realize your personal

dreams?

If you answered yes to questions 1 and 3, you are more likely to be engaged at work. If

you answered yes to questions 2 and 4, you are more likely to be committed to the

organization. If you answered no to two or more questions, maybe it’s time to reconsider

your values, your mission, and your talents.

References

Boyle, P. A., Barnes, L. L., Buchman, A. S., & Bennett, D. A. (2009). Purpose in life is

associated with mortality among community-dwelling older persons. Psychosomatic

Medicine, 71(5), 574-579.

Boyle, P. A., Buchman, A. S., Barnes, L. L., & Bennett, D. A. (2010). Effect of a purpose in

life on risk of incident Alzheimer disease and mild cognitive impairment in community-

dwelling older persons. Archives of General Psychiatry, 67(3), 304-310.

Boyle, P., Buchman, A., Wilson, R., Yu, L., Schneider, J., & Bennett, D. (2012). Effect of

purpose in life on the relation between Alzheimer disease pathologic changes on cognitive

function in advanced age. Archives of General Psychiatry, 69(5), 499-506.

Cohen, R., Bavishi, C., & Rozanski, A. (2016). Purpose in life and its relationships to all-

cause mortality and cardiovascular events: A meta-analysis. Psychosomatic Medicine,

78(2), 122-33.

Friedman, E. M., Hayney, M., Love, G. D., Singer, B. H., Ryff, C. D. (2007). Plasma

interleukin-6 and soluble IL-6 receptors are associated with psychological well-being in

aging women. Health Psychology, 26, 305-313.

Friedman, E. M., & Ryff, C. D. (2012). Living well with medical comorbidities: A

biopsychosocial perspective. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological

Sciences and Social Sciences, 67(5), 535-544.

Hill, P. L, & Turiano, N. A. (2014). Purpose in life as a predictor of mortality across

adulthood. Psychological Science, 25(7),1482–1486.

Holahan, C. K., Holahan, C. J., & Suzuki, R. (2008). Purposiveness, physical activity, and

perceived health in cardiac patients. Disability and Rehabilitation, 30(23), 1772–1778.

Hooker, S. A., & Masters, K. S. (2014). Purpose in life is associated with physical activity

measured by accelerometer. Journal of Health Psychology, 21(6), 962-971.

Kim, E. S., Hershner, S. D., Strecher, V. J. (2015). Purpose in life and incidence of sleep

disturbances. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 38, 590-597.

Kim, E. S., Sun, J. K., Park, N., Kubzansky, L. D., & Peterson, C. (2013). Purpose in life

and reduced risk of myocardial infarction among older U.S. adults with coronary heart

disease: A two-year follow-up. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 36(2), 124-133.

Krause, N. (2009). Meaning in life and mortality. The Journals of Gerontology Series B:

Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 64, 517–527.

Lewis, N., Turiano, N., Payne, B., & Hill, P., (2017) Purpose in life and cognitive

functioning in adulthood. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 24(6), 662-671.

Xu, H., Yang, R., Qi, X., Dintica, C., Song, R., Bennett, D., & Xu W. (2019). Association of

lifespan cognitive reserve indicator with dementia risk in the presence of brain pathologies.

JAMA Neurology. Published online July 14, 2019.

Yu, L., Boyle, P. A., Wilson, R. S., Levine, S. R., Schneider, J. A., & Bennett, D. A. (2015).

Purpose in life and cerebral infarcts in community-dwelling older people. Stroke, 46(4),

1071-1076.

Contributors

Guangrong Dai Senior Director, Korn Ferry Institute Signe M. Spencer Client Research Partner, Korn Ferry Institute E. Susanne Blazek Director of Behavioral Research, Lirio Former Director, Korn Ferry Institute

About Korn Ferry

Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm. We

work with organizations to design their organizational

structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the

right people and advise them on how to reward, develop,

and motivate their workforce. And, we help professionals

navigate and advance their careers.

About the Korn Ferry Institute

The Korn Ferry Institute, our research and analytics arm,

was established to share intelligence and expert points of

view on talent and leadership. Through studies, books, and

a quarterly magazine, Briefings, we aim to increase

understanding of how strategic talent decisions contribute to

competitive advantage, growth, and success. Visit

kornferryinstitute.com for more information.