A recent study by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that the presence of and search for meaning in life are important for health and well-being, though the relationships differ in adults younger and older than age 60.

加州大学圣地亚哥医学院(University of California San Diego School of Medicine)的研究人员最近进行的一项研究发现，人生意义的存在及其探索对我们的健康和幸福关系重大，尽管这种关系在60岁以上的老人与年轻人之间有所不同。

“Many think about the meaning and purpose in life from a philosophical perspective, but meaning in life is associated with better health, wellness and perhaps longevity,” said senior author Dilip V. Jeste, M.D., senior associate dean for the Center of Healthy Aging and Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “Those with meaning in life are happier and healthier than those without it.”

“许多人仅从哲学的角度思考人生的意义和目的，但人生的意义还将带来健康,幸福感甚至长寿,”资深作者，医学博士Dilip V. Jeste说道，他是健康老龄化中心的高级副主任和加州大学圣地亚哥分校医学院精神病学和神经科学特聘教授。“人生有意义的人比没有意义的人更快乐、更健康。”

The study, published online in the December 10, 2019 edition of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, found the presence of meaning in life is associated with better physical and mental well-being, while the search for meaning in life may be associated with worse mental well-being and cognitive functioning. “When you find more meaning in life, you become more contented, whereas if you don’t have purpose in life and are searching for it unsuccessfully, you will feel much more stressed out,” said Jeste.

这项研究发表在2019年12月10日的《临床精神病学杂志》(Journal of Clinical Psychiatry)网络版上。研究发现，对人生意义的确认与较好的身心健康有关，而对人生意义的探索可能与较差的心理健康和认知功能有关。Jeste说:“当你在人生中找到更多的意义时，你会变得更满足，而如果你没有人生的目标，并且没有成功地寻找它，你会感到更有压力。”

The results also showed that the presence of meaning in life exhibited an inverted U-shaped relationship, while the search for meaning in life showed a U-shaped relationship with age. The researchers found that age 60 is when the presence of meaning in life peaks and the search for meaning of life was at its lowest point.

研究结果还表明，人生意义的确认呈现出倒u型关系，而对人生意义的探索则与年龄呈u型关系。研究人员发现，60岁是人生的意义达到顶峰、对人生意义的探索达到最低谷的时候。

“When you are young, like in your twenties, you are unsure about your career, a life partner and who you are as a person. You are searching for meaning in life,” said Jeste. “As you start to get into your thirties, forties and fifties, you have more established relationships, maybe you are married and have a family and you’re settled in a career. The search decreases and the meaning in life increases.”

“当你年轻的时候，比如20多岁的时候，你对你的职业、人生伴侣和你自己都不确定。你在寻找人生的意义，”Jeste说。“当你开始步入30多岁、40多岁和50多岁时，你会有更稳定的人际关系，也许你结婚了，有了家庭，事业稳定了。探索减少了，已确认的人生意义增加了。”

“After age 60, things begin to change. People retire from their job and start to lose their identity. They start to develop health issues and some of their friends and family begin to pass away. They start searching for the meaning in life again because the meaning they once had has changed.”

“60岁以后，事情开始改变。人们从工作中退休，开始失去他们的身份。他们开始出现健康问题，一些朋友和家人开始去世。他们开始重新探索人生意义，因为他们曾经拥有的意义已经改变了。”

The three-year, cross-sectional study examined data from 1,042 adults, ages 21 to 100-plus, who were part of the Successful Aging Evaluation (SAGE) — a multi-cohort study of senior residents living in San Diego County. The presence and search for meaning in life were assessed with interviews, including a meaning in life questionnaire where participants were asked to rate items, such as, “I am seeking a purpose or mission for my life” and “I have discovered a satisfying life purpose.”

这项为期三年的横断面研究调查了1042名年龄从21岁到100岁以上成年人的数据，这些人都是“成功老龄化评估”(SAGE)的一部分。通过访谈，研究人员对人生意义的确认和探索进行了评估，其中包括一份人生意义问卷，要求参与者对“我正在为自己的人生寻找一个目标或使命”和“我发现了一个令人满意的人生目标”等项目进行评分。

“The medical field is beginning to recognize that meaning in life is a clinically relevant and potentially modifiable factor, which can be targeted to enhance the well-being and functioning of patients,” said Awais Aftab, M.D., first author of the paper and a former fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego. “We anticipate that our findings will serve as building blocks for the development of new interventions for patients searching for purpose.”

“医学领域已经开始认识到,人生的意义是一个与临床相关的和潜在的修改因素,可以有针对性的提高患者的健康和功能,”医学博士Awais Aftab说道，他是该论文的第一作者，加州大学圣地亚哥分校的精神病学前教授。“我们预期我们的发现将成为为寻找意义患者开发新的干预措施的基础。”

Jeste said next research steps include looking at other areas, such as wisdom, loneliness and compassion, and how these impact meaning in life. “We also want to examine if some biomarkers of stress and aging are associated with searching and finding the meaning in life. It’s an exciting time in this field as we are seeking to discover evidence-based answers to some of life’s most profound questions.”

Jeste说，下一步的研究包括寻找其他领域，如智慧、孤独和同情心，以及这些如何影响人生的意义。“我们还想研究压力和衰老的一些生物标记是否与寻找和发现人生的意义有关。这是这个领域的一个激动人心的时刻，因为我们正在寻找以此证据为基础的答案，来回答人生中一些最深奥的问题。”