Does Activism Mean Being Active? Considering the Health Correlates of Activist Purpose
Individuals with a purpose in life tend to experience better health outcomes, in part because they engage in healthier lifestyle behaviors. However, it is unclear whether these associations are due to the sense of purpose, or if the form of purpose may also correlate with health indicators. The curr...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/8/425 |
| _version_ | 1797583215151546368 |
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| author | Patrick L. Hill Payton D. Rule Megan E. Wilson |
| author_facet | Patrick L. Hill Payton D. Rule Megan E. Wilson |
| author_sort | Patrick L. Hill |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Individuals with a purpose in life tend to experience better health outcomes, in part because they engage in healthier lifestyle behaviors. However, it is unclear whether these associations are due to the sense of purpose, or if the form of purpose may also correlate with health indicators. The current study examined this claim, with regard to activist purpose, or a commitment to engaging in social activism and causes, given that this type of purpose may be especially vulnerable to health risks. In a cross-sectional study of 307 US adults (mean age: 38.1 years), participants completed surveys regarding their activist purpose, sense of purpose, health, and health behaviors. In addition, we asked participants about their other purpose orientations: prosocial, occupational, personal recognition, and creative purposes in life. The results suggested consistent evidence of positive associations between a sense of purpose, self-rated health, and health behaviors. The activist purpose levels were positively associated with a higher health behavior engagement, but not with the indices of self-rated health. Other purpose orientations exhibited similarly weak-to-null associations with health. The findings are discussed with regard to whether activist purpose should be viewed as health-promoting, and what future research should be conducted to evaluate this claim. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:34:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7f2a2588fb4741a8ae83ec9eb057380e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:34:43Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-7f2a2588fb4741a8ae83ec9eb057380e2023-11-19T03:01:00ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602023-07-0112842510.3390/socsci12080425Does Activism Mean Being Active? Considering the Health Correlates of Activist PurposePatrick L. Hill0Payton D. Rule1Megan E. Wilson2Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University, Box 1125, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, USADepartment of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University, Box 1125, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, USADepartment of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University, Box 1125, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, USAIndividuals with a purpose in life tend to experience better health outcomes, in part because they engage in healthier lifestyle behaviors. However, it is unclear whether these associations are due to the sense of purpose, or if the form of purpose may also correlate with health indicators. The current study examined this claim, with regard to activist purpose, or a commitment to engaging in social activism and causes, given that this type of purpose may be especially vulnerable to health risks. In a cross-sectional study of 307 US adults (mean age: 38.1 years), participants completed surveys regarding their activist purpose, sense of purpose, health, and health behaviors. In addition, we asked participants about their other purpose orientations: prosocial, occupational, personal recognition, and creative purposes in life. The results suggested consistent evidence of positive associations between a sense of purpose, self-rated health, and health behaviors. The activist purpose levels were positively associated with a higher health behavior engagement, but not with the indices of self-rated health. Other purpose orientations exhibited similarly weak-to-null associations with health. The findings are discussed with regard to whether activist purpose should be viewed as health-promoting, and what future research should be conducted to evaluate this claim.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/8/425sense of purposeactivist purposehealthhealth behaviors |
| spellingShingle | Patrick L. Hill Payton D. Rule Megan E. Wilson Does Activism Mean Being Active? Considering the Health Correlates of Activist Purpose Social Sciences sense of purpose activist purpose health health behaviors |
| title | Does Activism Mean Being Active? Considering the Health Correlates of Activist Purpose |
| title_full | Does Activism Mean Being Active? Considering the Health Correlates of Activist Purpose |
| title_fullStr | Does Activism Mean Being Active? Considering the Health Correlates of Activist Purpose |
| title_full_unstemmed | Does Activism Mean Being Active? Considering the Health Correlates of Activist Purpose |
| title_short | Does Activism Mean Being Active? Considering the Health Correlates of Activist Purpose |
| title_sort | does activism mean being active considering the health correlates of activist purpose |
| topic | sense of purpose activist purpose health health behaviors |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/8/425 |
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