In recent years, researchers have been deepening the scientific study of purpose and shedding light on what purpose is, why it matters, and how to develop it. Through this project, UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center aims to significantly expand public awareness about the core lessons from this research--particularly around the importance of sharpening a sense of purpose at various stages of life, not only in the formative years of adolescence. More specifically, the goals of the project are to:
1. Highlight the value, relevance, and benefits of the concept “purpose” to people at a range of life stages.
2. Help older as well as younger adults better understand why and how to identify and pursue their own sense of purpose.
3. Help older as well as younger adults see the value of connecting across generations to pursue a shared sense of purpose.
4. Help parents, educators, mentors, faith leaders, mental health professionals, and life coaches--anyone who supports the psychological and character development of other people--better understand why and how to guide those people on their path to purpose.
To achieve these goals, our project activities will include a range of multimedia content about purpose--articles, podcast episodes, a quiz, and more--that we will share with our audience of millions and our broad network of partners; we will also produce a webinar series featuring influential thinkers and exemplars of purpose. This work will culminate in a major public event tailored to practitioners and influencers who can apply the insights from the science of purpose widely; videos of the event will be webcast live and distributed afterwards, promoting an even greater reach.
Our outputs, which will benefit from a partnership with Encore.org, will support ongoing public engagement with the science of purpose--to help seed new research ideas, grow demand for relevant programs, and help nurture a sense of purpose among the old and young alike.
