For decades, abnormal proteins called amyloid and tau were widely accepted as the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. These theories dominated the field ...

Having a purpose also helps to bring lifelong benefits, including increased optimism, resilience, and hope, greater physical health, and a lower risk of death. It helps us to stay emotionally even-keeled in both positive and negative situations, and can be accessed by everyone, regardless of age.

Particularly in old age, maintaining a purpose in life is essential when losses, such as widowhood, retirement, and other age-related deficits and losses, become more common. It is vital for older individuals to prepare in middle adulthood for living longer and prevent Alzheimer’s disease, as this will help to ensure their physical and mental well being in later life.

Promote good consistently with a mindset beneficial to oneself and others help to build up morally valued personality traits, which is fundamental to one’s identity can lead to positive outcomes for oneself and/or others, and also contribute to the greater good.

For some people, this notion might contrast to the rule of “survival of the fittest”, which is a self-oriented, self-preservation concept, and has been flourishing in our individualistic culture. The main difference is that the behavior of living beings is not just self-oriented; rather it is a balance of self-interest and altruism. By promoting kindness using an automatic or mimicry approach, other than scolding or moral persuasion, people can intuitively reconnect with innate desires to help others and shift that balance.

Promoting cooperation and mutual aid, can also better ensure the survival of the species.

Even though promotion of kindness alone will not directly solve problems, it does enable people to feel less stressed and more connected to one another. The opportunities to find compromises and solutions may flow from the supportive society change other than lonely struggling individuals.

In summary, purpose in life is associated with cognitive outcomes and Alzheimer’s disease. It is modifiable, and offers a new treatment focus to reduce the increasing burden of Alzheimer’s disease in old age.