Purpose: The concept of purpose in life (PIL) has been explained using such words as ‘existentialism’ or ‘meaning in life’. Crumbaugh and Maholic devised a method to quantitatively measure the meaning in life called the PIL test. To clarify the effect of emotional stress on health, the effects of PIL on anxiety and sympathetic nervous activity caused by emotional stress were assessed. Also the relationship between experiences in life and PIL in adults were examined. Methods: Thirty‐two healthy male and female adult volunteers were recruited for this study. The subjects were required to fill out the PIL test, the manifest anxiety scale (MAS) test, the Cornell Medical Index (CMI) test for psychiatric/somatic symptoms, and the Youth and Adulthood Experiences Inventory (YAEI). Autonomic nervous activity was assessed by measuring heart rate variability before and while watching a video of a roller coaster. Results: Scores on the PIL test were negatively correlated with scores on the MAS and CMI test for psychiatric/somatic symptoms. PIL scores were positively correlated with the positive experiences of the YAEI. Heart rate measurements of those classed in the infirm purpose in life (IFPIL) group, taken before and while watching the video, showed significant increases in the coefficient of variance (CV), low frequency power (LF), and the difference between low frequency power and high frequency power (LF‐HF). The IFPIL heart rate measurements taken while watching the video also showed decreases in high frequency power (HF). Conclusion: Firm purpose in life (FPIL), which develops by positive experiences in youth and adulthood, contributes to reducing the development of anxiety and relieving the excessive response of the autonomic nervous system to emotional stress. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Every person has a will to achieve meaning and purpose in life (PIL)/ikigai. According to previous studies, PIL/ikigai provides people with the ability to integrate stressful psychological events from the past, present, and future with less conflict or confusion. This ability results in decreased anxiety and lower sympathetic nervous system activity during psychological and physical stressful situations. PIL/ikigai develops by positive experiences in one's life such as experiencing sympathetic listening by others and being affected by persons and/or events. Overall, evidence shows that PIL/ikigai is an effective technique for coping with stress and helped many people cope with the enormous earthquake that occurred in Japan in March 2011.

.Purpose: Factors influencing the development of purpose in life (PIL) were examined. Methods: We recruited 67 healthy students of Niigata University (34 males and 33 females, 18-35 years of age). PIL and approval motivation (AM), and memories of experiences (IME) were measured using the PIL test, Martin-Larsen Approval Motivation Scale (MLAM), and the Early Life and Youth Experiences Inventory. Confusion, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and thumb-tip temperature were measured before and during "Evaluating-Integrating Words Task (EIWT)." Results: In the Profile of Mood States (POMS) tests, changes in the confusion scores were significantly higher in the weak PIL compared to the firm PIL group. The scores were significantly higher for the firm AM compared to the weak AM group. Changes in heart rate were significantly higher in the weak PIL compared to the firm PIL group. IME scores for memories of the beauty of nature, empathetic listening from parents and teachers were positively or negatively correlated with PIL test scores or MLAM scores for life stages: infancy, junior high school, and university. Conclusion: PIL and AM seemed to grow through the experiences of the beauty of nature and empathic understanding by parents and teachers during various developmental stages. Purpose in life had greater influence on emotional response and the autonomic nervous system response during psychological stress compared to approval motivation

Stress can cause anxiety that creates imbalances in the autonomic nervous system and internal secretions leading to mental and somatic disease. Purpose in life (PIL) and ikigai (two social attitudes) help individuals to integrate psychological events and effectively cope with stress. PIL/ikigai provides an intrinsic motivation and is thought to develop primarily during adolescence. There is a correlation with such positive experiences as spending time in beautiful natural surroundings and exposure to warm human relationships at various developmental stages. PIL/ikigai is a physiological frontal lobe function. Adolescence is a critical period of development for PIL/ikigai and neuronal connections are strengthened by secretion of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and β-endorphin. We propose that there is an important physiologic role of PIL/ikigai and that critical periods of brain development influence development of PIL/ikigai.

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