The Impact of Purpose in Life on Insulin Resistance: Insights from a Large Spanish Cohort

Data from a Spanish cohort (n = 93,077) show that lower purpose in life is independently associated with higher insulin-resistance markers, identifying a psychosocial signal of early metabolic vulnerability.

The analysis used a cross-sectional baseline assessment of routine occupational health examinations in adults aged 20–69 years and sampled across regions and job classes. Purpose was measured with a validated 10-item instrument, and insulin resistance was estimated using multiple surrogate indices to triangulate complementary pathophysiological signals. Assessing several validated markers strengthened endpoint robustness and comparability.

Adjusted models linked lower purpose with higher odds of elevated insulin resistance and showed that adding purpose modestly improved discrimination beyond sociodemographic and lifestyle covariates. These effects were consistent across the TyG, SPISE-IR and METS-IR indices. Fully adjusted odds ratios for low versus high purpose ranged roughly 1.6–2.2 across indices, with small but statistically significant incremental AUC gains.

The association persisted after controlling for age, sex, social class, smoking, Mediterranean-diet adherence, physical activity, and BMI, supporting an independent psychosocial signal.

Taken together, these results suggest brief psychosocial screening could refine preventive risk stratification in occupational-health and primary-care settings.