Benefits of Purpose

What is Purpose?

Purpose is both who you are and what you are meant to do.

The academic definition:

Purpose is a stable and generalized intention to accomplish something that is at the same time meaningful to the self and consequential for the world beyond the self. (Applied Development Science, 2003)

Simply put:

Take all that is genuinely within you and put into action beyond you to realize your most meaningful contributions. 

The Science

The personal benefits of purpose are undeniable. Academic studies demonstrate that having a higher purpose can positively impact nearly every domain of our lives. Yet purpose-exploration is not embedded in the very practices that support people and institutions to grow and develop. The Genuine believe that nearly every single person on earth and the organizations that we run can cultivate purpose, and has identified a science-based methodology and practices to support the process. 

Some of the proven results of having purpose on our health and wellness:

• On average, people with purpose live up to seven years longer than their peers.

• Those with a strong sense of purpose have a 23 percent reduced risk of dying from any cause.

• Purpose lowers the rate of cognitive decline.

• Purpose is correlated with a decrease in the onset of Alzheimer's Disease by 240 percent.

• Having a strong sense of purpose or meaning is associated with less negative affect, depression and anxiety.

• Higher purpose is correlated with higher levels of hope, and even higher levels of life-satisfaction, and greater feelings of relaxation.

Purpose & the Workplace

One day, purpose will be powerfully embedded into the core of all of our workplaces, designing how we work, informing the ways we support our growth, and even generating the very missions and strategies of our companies. The research reveals why it's vital. First, purpose is desired in workplaces—on average, employees will give up a quarter of their total future lifetime earnings in exchange for work that is meaningful. Not surprisingly, nearly 90 percent of millennial respondents say their job is more fulfilling when they are provided opportunities to make a positive impact on social and environmental issues.

• Purpose-oriented employees have higher level of engagement and fulfillment with their work - and outperform their peers in expected tenure, leadership, self-advocacy, and comfort with senior leadership.

•  People with purpose are often better workers: People who found their work more meaningful were less likely to miss work; workers in a flow state (a factor of purpose engagement) are five times more productive than those not in flow; and people with high purpose are more likely to be in leadership, more fulfilled at work, are more likely to promote other employees, and stay in their roles longer.