Positive World News Megathread

Previous studies into regions of the world where people tend to live longer has shown that having a sense of purpose in life may help people live longer.

Now, new research from the University of California in Davis shows that having a sense of purpose in life may have another benefit as people age: reducing the risk of dementia.

The new study, published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, followed over 13,000 adults aged 45 and older for up to 15 years.

Researchers found that people who reported a higher sense of purpose in life were about 28% less likely to develop cognitive impairment—including mild cognitive impairment and dementia.


The protective effect of having a purpose was seen across racial and ethnic groups. It also remained significant even after accounting for education, depression, and the APOE4 gene, which is a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.

“Our findings show that having a sense of purpose helps the brain stay resilient with age,” said Aliza Wingo, senior author and professor in the UC Davis Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. “Even for people with a genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease, sense of purpose was linked to a later onset and lower likelihood of developing dementia.”

Participants were not specifically asked about the activities that gave their life purpose. However, previous studies on aging have found a wide rang of activities give older adults a sense of life purpose (sometimes referred to as “ikigai”).

A Sense of Purpose Can Include:

• Relationships: Caring for family, spending time with grandchildren or supporting a spouse or friend.
• Work or volunteering: Continuing professional work, mentoring or contributing to community causes.
• Spirituality or faith: Religious beliefs, spiritual practices or involvement in faith-based communities.
• Personal goals: Pursuing hobbies, learning new skills or setting and achieving personal milestones.
• Helping others: Acts of kindness, philanthropy, caregiving or advocacy work.
Purpose delays onset of cognitive decline


Researchers also found that people with higher purpose tended to experience cognitive decline later than those with lower purpose. On average, the delay in onset was very modest — about 1.4 months over an eight-year period, after considering the effects of age, education, depressive symptoms, and genetic risk. However, it is meaningful when compared to current treatments.

“While medications like lecanemab and donanemab can modestly delay symptoms of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease, they come with risks and costs,” said Nicholas C. Howard, first author and public health researcher at UC Davis.

“Purpose in life is free, safe and accessible. It’s something people can build through relationships, goals and meaningful activities.”

Participants in the study were part of the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey funded by the National Institute on Aging. All had normal cognitive health at the beginning of the study.

Researchers used a seven-item survey from the Ryff Measures of Psychological Well-being. Participants had six possible responses (from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”) for statements such as: “I am an active person in carrying out the plans I set for myself” and “I have a sense of direction and purpose in my life.”


Their answers were scored and averaged to obtain a well-being number between 1 and 6, with higher values indicating a strong sense of purpose in life. Their cognitive health was also tracked using a telephone-based test every two years.

The findings support the idea that psychological well-being plays a key role in healthy aging, said Thomas Wingo, a co-author of the study and a professor and neurologist at UC Davis Health. Wingo hopes future studies will explore whether purpose-building interventions can help prevent dementia.

“What’s exciting about this study is that people may be able to ‘think’ themselves into better health. Purpose in life is something we can nurture,” he said. “It’s never too early — or too late — to start thinking about what gives your life meaning.”

A stray dog that was saved from being euthanized has become an expert pet detective, displaying an uncanny knack for sniffing out lost animals.

Rico was just days away from being put down when kind-hearted Rachel Rodgers, who runs a dog training school, paid almost $200 to rescue him from the Portuguese dog pound.

“I saw this picture online of this really cute black and tan dog in Portugal and they said he had two days left to live,” the Englishwoman told SWNS news agency. “I paid the fee to get him out of the pound, but they hadn’t found him a home (so) I ended up paying and bringing him over.”

She took him home and was amazed to discover the incredible sniffing and tracking skills of this small domestic Kokoni.

“He was really good at that. It was like hide and seek where they sniff you out.”


Within months, Rico’s nose was being used to track down lost pets and animals which had escaped from their enclosures, including a runaway capybara.

Rico would be given a blanket or chew toy to smell, which he would then use to locate the area where the animals had been most recently.

In some cases, the 10-year-old pup was even given an animal’s poop to learn its smell in order to pick up a trail.

Rico is now a pro at locating lost animals—and over the years, he’s taken part in more than 20 pet rescues. 36-year-old Rachel from Whitchurch, Shropshire, in England, is preparing to mark ten years since she gave Rico a second chance of life in December 2015.

Rico’s first rescue happened while Rachel was doing a course about water voles in Wales.

(Hogle Zoo) Giraffe calf born at Hogle Zoo with his mother, Minka, and father, Ja.

A new member of Salt Lake City’s Hogle Zoo family was welcomed this week with the birth of a giraffe calf.

The healthy baby boy was born through natural birth early Monday at 1:38 a.m., standing at birth at 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 139 pounds.

The calf was born to his mother, Minka, and father, Ja. It’s the first birth for mom, and the zoo said the calf has quickly bonded with Minka and began nursing.

“[The calf] has shown a calm, curious demeanor and responded well during his first health checkup and routine care,” the zoo said in a news release, “qualities that will support future training.”

While it was a natural birth, zoo staffers were on hand and created a soft-landing area to cushion the calf’s 6-foot drop during delivery. Soon after his birth, the calf began walking independently. Mom and baby will have some quiet time alone for a while and will not be immediately visible to zoo guests.