Effects of a firm purpose in life on anxiety and sympathetic nervous activity caused by emotional stress: assessment by psycho-physiological method

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.