Power of Ikigai on Japanese Older Adults’ Well-Being

In Japan, a super-aging society, the development of Ikigai is considered the key to extending healthy longevity in national policy. Thus, activities provided by local governments are designed to encourage Ikigai. At this point, Ikigai has developed its conceptual understanding, which includes its distinctiveness from life purposes and other closely related concepts. Empirical studies using developed measurements have shown that Ikigai has an impact on the mental and physical health of older adults across countries and cultures. However, the dynamic nature of the relationship of Ikigai with the social networks of family members and the community, engagements in social activities, and the health and well-being of older adults has room for more evidence. This study examined how Ikigai, in relation to social networks, support, and engagement in social activities, was related to the well-being of older Japanese adults. Using the 14th wave of the Japan Household Panel Survey (JHPS), Ikigai’s relationships with self-rated health and short-, middle-, and long-term happiness were examined using social networks and support and engagement in social activities through a series of regression analyses. The results showed persistent positive relationships between Ikigai and the dependent variables, regardless of the status of social networks and support and engagement in social activity. They also revealed that regular physical activity was consistently associated with happiness. Although simple and not comprehensive, this study provides additional evidence that perceiving Ikigai, as it is with its nuances in Japanese culture, plays a critical role in the well-being of older adults. Furthermore, based on the results, the concept of Ikigai was reviewed and discussed to understand it better.