Resilient people live longer.

Resilient people live longer.

Highly resilient people live longer, and here is why:

They have a sense of purpose.

Dan Buettner studied people worldwide who had reached an advanced age in good health and found that they reported having meaningful lives and a reason to get up in the morning. The late Robert Butler from Columbia University in his research on longevity found that people with a sense of purpose and meaning lived on average 7 years longer than those who didn’t. A Rush University Research team studied 951 men and women with an average age of 80.4 years. Those with the lowest sense of purpose were twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease as those who were living meaningful lives. 

In a survey of 8,903 adults, 92% of those with high resilience said their life had meaning in contrast to only 2% of those with low resilience who said their life had meaning. When you have a reason to get up every morning, you could be adding years to your life.

Next: Resilient people are more likely to achieve success.

What is Resilience? | Live longer | Are more likely to achieve success | Tend to respond better to stress | Manage chronic illness more effectively | Are less depressed | Are happier with themselves | Are typically better employees | Are physically healthier | Thrive | What you can do to build resilience