title: Waiting with purpose: A reliable but small association between purpose in life and impulsivity.
abstract: Purpose in life contributes to health and wellbeing. We examine the link between purpose and behavioral impulsivity that may account for these benefits. In a community sample of 503 adults, we found a small yet reliable positive association between purpose and valuing future rewards on a delayed discounting task, a behavioral index of impulsivity. This bootstrapped correlation remained after accounting for Big-5 personality traits, positive affect, and demographic characteristics, suggesting a unique and robust link between purpose and impulsivity (r= .1). We interpret this connection as evidence that purpose enables a broader life view, which serves to inhibit impulsive distractions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853.
authors.forename: Anthony L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Burrow
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853.|Human Neuroscience Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853.
authors.forename: R Nathan
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Spreng
keywords: delay discounting; future rewards; impulsivity; prospection; purpose in life