46 % Less Risk of Dying: The Case for a Life That Means Something
Two travel encounters, one longevity statistic, and a reminder that meaning isn’t just philosophical; it’s physiological.
Ever since I entered my 30’s, the once amazing idea of frequent travel, albeit how fun, now exhausts me a bit more than it used to.
And I have been to upwards of 75 countries.
Yet one thing is certain about travel: it shows us our shared humanity.
A Seat for Conviction: Austin, Texas
A few weeeks ago, I was in Austin for a wedding.
I visited the Texas Capitol, and I spotted a man planted on a blanket next to a hand‑painted sign: “I’m not leaving until the President is impeached.”
Curiosity (and traveller’s license) pulled me closer.
He introduced himself as Corban Dotson, an American who had grown weary of standing by as a white man while democracy frays. He was committed to sitting there, every day, peacefully, however long it takes, however quixotic the odds, for purposeful axtion.
A Camper for Community: Squamish, British Columbia
One week later and 2,600 kilometres north, as I was ordering an ice cream (longevity nerds eat desserts too!) and ended up chatting with a sun‑browned twenty‑something. He lives in the camper shell of his pickup despite earning a healthy paycheque (he said it, not me) as a person that (if I understood correctly) helps rescue people from difficult terrains. Every saved dollar, he told me, is earmarked for his dream project: a communal house where fellow wanderers can shower, cook, and swap trail beta before pushing back into the wild.
The Thread That Binds
Two strangers, two radically different missions. Yet boiled down, their motives sound almost identical:
I just want to do something that matters.
Psychologists call this a sense of purpose: a self‑chosen direction that organizes goals, fuels resilience, and knits individual stories into something larger. Purpose isn’t the same as happiness (which ebbs) or passion (which can flicker out). It’s closer to a compass bearing: steady, north‑pointing, and surprisingly protective.
Purpose as a Vital Sign
A 2022 longitudinal study of nearly 13,000 older adults found that participants with the highest scores on purpose in life had a 46 percent lower risk of death over the subsequent four years compared with those in the lowest bracket (Kim et al., 2022).
That’s a survival advantage on par with quitting smoking or maintaining a healthy weight.
Researchers posit multiple pathways, better health behaviours, lower stress hormones, stronger social ties, but the headline is clear: meaning isn’t just philosophical; it’s physiological.
Travel’s Quiet Gift
Why does travel surface these stories so readily?
Proximity: Out of our routines, we notice the man with the sign or the climber in the café…And they notice our openness to listen.
Perspective: New landscapes jolt us into zoom‑out mode, making it easier to perceive purpose (or the lack of it) in our own lives.
Permission: Away from familiar eyes, we grant ourselves, and others, permission to share the “why” beneath the “what.”
An Invitation to Readers
Next time you board a plane or simply cross town, try stepping into the role of intentional eavesdropper. Ask one extra follow‑up question. You might discover that under the bumper stickers and bank balances, most of us are busy chasing the same thing: a life that means something.
Reflection prompts:
What belief, cause, or craft would convince you to sit in a folding chair for days?
If you trimmed your lifestyle to essentials, what dream could those savings fund?
Where does your current compass point, and does that direction still feel true?
Our passports collect stamps, but our journeys collect teachers. This week mine were a protestor in Austin and a campver dreamer in Squamish, both reminding me that purpose is portable. Pack it well.
References (APA 7th ed.)
Kim, E. S., Chen, Y., Nakamura, J. S., Ryff, C. D., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2022). Sense of purpose in life and subsequent physical, behavioral, and psychosocial health: An outcome‑wide approach. American Journal of Health Promotion, 36(1), 137–147. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171211038545