3 Scientific Strategies to Find Your Purpose! Purpose Revolution Interview With Dr. Gleb Tsipursky

Can science really help you understand the purpose of life and how to live a meaningful life? Purpose Revolution’s Brandon Peele conducted a videotaped interview (http://bit.ly/1VcIUvo) on this topic with Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, the author of Find Your Purpose Using Science. Dr. Tsipursky is a tenure-track professor at Ohio State University. As a historian of science, he researches the intersection of history, psychology, and cognitive neuroscience, focusing on meaning and purpose, decision-making, emotions, and agency. He is also a science popularizer as a best-selling author and president of the nonprofit organization Intentional Insights (www.intentionalinsights.org). His workbook combines an engaging narrative, stories from people’s lives, and research-informed exercises and worksheets designed to help people cultivate a rich sense of meaning and purpose.

Purpose Revolution is an ongoing interview series that forms part of a broader nonprofit organization, Planet Purpose (www.planetpurpose.org) dedicated to helping everyone around the globe find their life purpose. The interview with Dr. Tsipursky demonstrates that science really can answer life’s big questions, such as “why am I here” and “what is the purpose of life for me?” These questions have become answerable due to a recent wave of research in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and medicine.

The findings revealed three science-informed strategies for finding purpose and living a meaningful life. The first set of strategies stems from the work of Victor Frankl, a Viennese psychiatrist who lived through the Holocaust concentration camps. In his research and work, both in the camps and afterward in private practice, he found that, in order for individuals to survive and thrive, it is crucial to self-reflect on their sense of purpose and meaning in life. The second set of strategies stem from studies showing that people have a higher sense of life meaning and purpose when they are part of a community and have strong social bonds. The third comes from extensive research that demonstrates how opportunities to serve others, whether in civic, charitable, private, or professional settings, results in a stronger sense of purpose and meaning in life. This sense of purpose, in turn, leads to better mental and physical well-being.

The workbook describes these strategies in much greater depth, with a free book version available on the Intentional Insights website. It was published by Intentional Insights, a nonprofit devoted to inspiring people to refine and reach their goals. This nonprofit provides research-based content to help improve thinking, feeling, and behavior patterns. Intentional Insights also offers free online classes, videotaped workshops, blogs, and other content on meaning and purpose, as well as in a variety of other topics.

Watch the interview and read the book to learn about the three scientific strategies to find your purpose!