Goals help us be clear on our intentions, they can create a plan and path for us to stay focused and work towards something. And, neuroscience confirms this: goals can activate neural pathways for action.  We activate our prefrontal cortex and when we achieve our goals, we are rewarded with dopamine, and that motivates us to keep going. But the problem, is when we are so focused on goals in isolation we can experience loneliness, distrust, stress, and anger.  The brain is more reactive to external stimuli, and we are unable to efficiently integrate and connect information.

However, neuroscience suggests that people with clearer life meaning, and a clearer mission, have brains that are connected more efficiently.  The Default Mode Network is more strongly organized when we are clear on our life’s mission.  And, the clearer we are on our life’s meaning, the stronger the connection with the emotional processing regions of the limbic system, allowing us to be stronger in reflecting on our emotional state, especially when faced with negative emotions.  We are more regulated. In short, studies demonstrate that a clear life mission and a strong sense of purpose is connected with lower levels of negative emotions and less reactivity to everyday stressors.

Seedlings sprouting in a garden