woman on left; two people hugging in center top; man hitting ping pong ball with paddle on right; blue background with white dividing lines and red and peach colored circles

Photo Collage: MOA Staff: (Source: AARP Studios)

AARP Produces ‘The Hidden Power of Purpose’

Take our quiz about the importance of finding purpose in your life

Published October 06, 2023

10 Questions

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Finding a sense of purpose — something that guides you, the reason you get up and move every day — has the power to give your life meaning and help you live longer and healthier. AARP Studios has created The Hidden Power of Purpose, a feature-length documentary film, narrated by Debbie Allen, that features top researchers and leading scientists and profiles four incredible people who are living lives driven by purpose and making the world a better place for everyone.

Take our quiz on The Hidden Power of Purpose.

AARP Produces ‘The Hidden Power of Purpose’

[ {
 "question" : "True or false: There are no studies linking the power of purpose to healthy aging.\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "True",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "False",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "More than 1,000 studies have found a connection between purpose and health that points to the fact that a sense of purpose has the power to give your life meaning and help you live longer and healthier.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
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}, {
 "question" : "People who report a higher life purpose have a ___ percent lower risk of stroke.\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "25 percent",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "50 percent",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "71 percent",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "60 percent",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "In a follow-up to the study “Purpose in Life and Reduced Incidence of Stroke in Older Adults: The Health and Retirement Study,” in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, researchers found that the risk of stroke dramatically fell in those who reported a higher life purpose.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
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}, {
 "question" : "True or false: People who report a higher life purpose have a 2.4-times lower risk of death.\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "True",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "False",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "According to the study “Association Between Life Purpose and Mortality Among US Adults Older Than 50 Years,” scientists found that those with a higher life purpose have a 2.4 times lower risk of death.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
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}, {
 "question" : "Purpose can calm us when we’re stressed. What are other ways it can help us?&nbsp;\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "It can help regulate our emotions.",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "It can boost our mental health.",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "It can help fight off disease.",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "All of the above.",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "As described in The Hidden Power of Purpose, the benefits of a purpose-driven lifestyle are undeniable.\n",
 "hint" : "",
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}, {
 "question" : "True or false: Purpose can help people deal with traumatic experiences.\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "True",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "False",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "In a study titled “Purpose in Life Predicts Better Emotional Recovery From Negative Stimuli,” researchers found that “having purpose in life may motivate reframing stressful situations to deal with them more productively, thereby facilitating recovery from stress and trauma.”\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
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}, {
 "question" : "Which is the best way to find my purpose?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Take time each day to get out of your comfort zone and try new experiences.",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Focus on the themes that matter most to you and set goals concentrated on those topics.",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Ask yourself: What does the world need right now?",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "All of the above.",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "In The Hidden Power of Purpose, Todd Kashdan, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, explains that “one of the most important elements of pursuing a purpose is there’s so many roads of getting there.”&nbsp;&nbsp;\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
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}, {
 "question" : "True or false: Your chosen purpose must stay constant throughout your life.\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "True",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "False",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Your purpose can evolve as you age and may need to be redefined after a big life event, such as a divorce, the death of a loved one or a decline in physical health. At some point, all of us go through difficult experiences. The good news is that you can find or redefine your purpose at any age.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
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}, {
 "question" : "Although sleep disturbances increase with age, one study showed that people with a high sense of purpose are how much less likely to develop sleep apnea?&nbsp;&nbsp;\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "5 percent",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "10 percent ",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "30 percent ",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "63 percent",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "In the study “Purpose in Life and Incidence of Sleep Disturbances” published in 2015 in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine, researchers found that among more than 4,000 respondents, a higher purpose was associated with a lower incidence of developing sleep apnea over a four-year period.&nbsp;\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
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}, {
 "question" : "True or false: Journaling can help you figure out your purpose.&nbsp;\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "True",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "False",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "One way to learn more about yourself is to write down your thoughts each day. Commit to journaling for 30 days straight, and jot down three moments of each day that correlate to the issues you care most about.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
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}, {
 "question" : "True or false: Middle-aged adults with a greater sense of purpose can have better cognitive function and a lower dementia risk.\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "True",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "False",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "A study, “Purpose in Life Promotes Resilience to Age-Related Brain Burden and Neuroprotection Through Functional Connectivity in Middle-Aged Adults,” published in the journal Alzheimer’s Research &amp; Therapy, found that purpose correlated with cognitive resilience.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
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} ]

Quiz Progress

0 Correct

0 Incorrect