There is evidence that purpose in life is lower in older people, as ageing is often associated with reduced social roles, increased health problems and more active contemplation of one’s death.
I found participation in a wider range of social and leisure activity mediates the strong association between self-assessed health and older peoples’ evaluations of how worthwhile the things they do in life are.
I also investigated associations between leisure activities and momentary feelings of pleasure and purposefulness: momentary purposefulness had not been previously explored. Volunteering or caring for someone was associated with the greatest feelings of purpose, followed by DIY and gardening. Creative hobbies and visiting friends or family were associated with the greatest feelings of pleasure. Those who spent less of their days sedentary seemed to get more pleasure and purpose out of all their activities.
Finally, I explored what retirees meant by purpose in life. Many described a desire to keep busy with a range of activities such as regular exercise and volunteering. Being busy also helped keep existential despair at bay. Sometimes however retirees simply appreciated life and nature or roles as a grandparent or volunteer. Importantly, I found it was the attitude to a given activity, rather than the activity itself, that made it feel purposeful.