How do you fill the existential void? When our lives are purely experiences, you start to wonder, what is the point of it all? The Japanese language has an answer: ikigai. The experience of life becomes the purpose. This article explores ikigai, its uniqueness and fluidity, but more importantly, why reflecting on your ikigai can help you find happiness.
How do you fill the existential void? When our lives are purely experiences, you start to wonder, what is the point of it all? The Japanese language has an answer: ikigai. The experience of life becomes the purpose. This article explores ikigai, its uniqueness and fluidity, but more importantly, why reflecting on your ikigai can help you find happiness.
Photo by Sarah Laszlo
Photo by Sarah Laszlo
What gives your life meaning? The big existential question. Let’s address the elephant in the room by making it more approachable through the idea of ikigai. When you think of ikigai, many think of the viral ikigai Venn diagram. The diagram combines what you love, what the world needs, what you can be paid for and what you are good at into your ikigai. Still, I want to clarify that this is a westernized and distorted explanation of the term. The concept originates from Japan and dates back to the Heian period. The word consists of two components: ‘iki’ comes from the verb ikiru, meaning daily living, and ‘gai’ defines value. Thus, the idea represents what you do in your day-to-day life that brings your life worth. Professor Akihiro Hasegawa, an ikigai researcher, described ikigai as a sense of being present and aware of your will to achieve (Kemp, 2019). So, why should you think about your ikigai?
First and foremost, we will investigate the research of ikigai to better understand it, as translating from the Japanese language ikigai seems ambiguous. The first to study ikigai, also known as the mother of ikigai psychology, was Mieko Kamiya, a Japanese psychiatrist from the mid-20th century. Kamiya defined it as the object of the source (ikigai) and the feeling derived from the source (ikigai-kun). For example, many parents would say that their children are their ikigai and caring for them is their ikigai-kun. In her works, Kamiya states that feeling ikigai must satisfy an individual’s personal needs. Namely the need for life satisfaction, for change and growth, for a bright future, for resonance, for freedom, for self-actualization and for meaning and value. Yet, all these needs should feel fulfilled in the act of ikigai, not in accomplishing it. In the same way, pursuing happiness makes you miserable. The journey is the destination.
Subsequently, let’s talk about why having an ikigai would benefit you by looking into people who thrive from it. Ikigai is a recurring theme in blue zones; areas associated with longevity and good health. As Dan Buettner, a longevity explorer, says in a TED talk when he interviewed Okinawan centenarians in the blue zones, they all positively expressed their ikigai. For Okinawans, their ikigai gave them a purpose to wake up every day and carry out fulfilling lives. Furthermore, Buettner continues to say that having this sense of purpose in life can account for an extra seven years of life expectancy. Retirement is a difficult transition for the elderly as workers now need to redistribute their time, which can cause psychosocial stress and even lead to a decline in health. A study found that participants aged 40 to 79, who did not experience ikigai, were at an increased risk of all-cause mortality (Sone et al., 2008). Therefore, a sense of ikigai can diminish stress and related health issues.
Not only does ikigai relate to health, but it has also been found to prevent cognitive decline and thus could maintain your mental functioning. In addition, as reported in the Okinawan blue zone, the elderly population participate in a moai, a circle of friends which supports them and helps them stay active as gardeners in their community (Buettner, 2012). Their ikigai gives them a clear purpose in their day-to-day life; it allows them to assume responsibility and a sense of belonging. A longitudinal study of Japanese older adults highlights that ikigai was associated with decreased depressive symptoms, higher happiness, instrumental activity of daily living and social involvement. As well as that, they found a lower risk of developing functional disability and dementia (Okuzono et al., 2022). Moreover, interviews with Japanese adults who pursued ikigai when caring for their elderly showed evident results: those who failed to maintain ikigai reported passive suicidal ideation, excessive alcohol consumption and negative thoughts (Yamamoto-Mitani & Wallhagen, 2002).
“Carrying yourself with a sense of purpose promotes lasting physical and mental health, allowing longevity and happiness.”
On the same note, ikigai has been observed to share essence with psychotherapy. The link can be seen as a preventive therapy, which helps you better deal with stressors and counter deterioration of your mental health throughout your life. For instance, logotherapy, a form of psychotherapy or “talk therapy”, focuses on the motivational force of an individual to find meaning. The focus is to make the person aware of their purpose and free will to pursue what really matters in life, improving their quality of life. Logotherapy is the first step to finding the intention and guiding yourself into the feeling of purpose, known as ikigai, ultimately leading to intrinsic happiness. Proof of this was found in a group of adolescents with terminal cancer who received logotherapy, effectively reducing suffering and improving their quality of life (Kang et al., 2009). Likewise, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) shares characteristics with ikigai. CBT aims to treat patients by changing their thinking and behavioural patterns (APA, 2017). CBT shares the principles of focusing on the good of meaning beyond ourselves and being present, similar to feeling ikigai and living every day with purpose. The connection between ikigai and CBT is significant because CBT is arguably one of the most researched therapies and has proven to be an effective treatment for anxiety, suicidality, PTSD, substance use and many other disorders (Kring et al., 2017).
Considering all of this, why should you think about your ikigai? Ikigai, having meaning in the present moment, pushes you toward self-actualization and a sense of fulfilment. Carrying yourself with a sense of purpose promotes lasting physical and mental health, allowing longevity and happiness. Ikigai’s connection with psychotherapy highlights the relationship between a meaningful life and subjective well-being. We are uncertain about the directionality of the relationship. Still, the feeling of ikigai counters psychological distress. Nonetheless, don’t get overwhelmed trying to develop the ultimate life’s purpose. Life is inclined to change, and so is your ikigai. Remember to enjoy life and all its little things. The journey is the destination. <<
References
– American Psychological Association. (2017, July). What is cognitive behavioral therapy? American Psychological Association. Retrieved October 2022, from https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral
– Buettner, D. (2012). The Blue Zone in Okinawa. In The blue zones: 9 lessons for living longer from the people who’ve lived the longest (pp. 96–156). essay, National Geographic.
– Kang, K.-A., Im, J.-I., Kim, H.-S., Kim, S.-J., Song, M.-K., & Sim, S. (2009). The effect of logotherapy on the suffering, finding meaning, and spiritual well-being of adolescents with terminal cancer. Journal of Korean Academy of Child Health Nursing, 15(2), 136. https://doi.org/10.4094/jkachn.2009.15.2.136
– Kemp, N. (2019, November 20). Ikigai According To Professor Akihiro Hasegawa. Ikigai Tribe. other. Retrieved September 2022, from https://ikigaitribe.com/ikigai/podcast01/.
– Kring, A. M., Johnson, S. L., Davison, G. C., & Neale, J. M. (2017). Abnormal psychology (Fourteenth). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
– Okuzono, S. S., Shiba, K., Kim, E. S., Shirai, K., Kondo, N., Fujiwara, T., Kondo, K., Lomas, T., Trudel-Fitzgerald, C., Kawachi, I., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2022). Ikigai and subsequent health and wellbeing among Japanese older adults: Longitudinal outcome-wide analysis. The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, 21, 100391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2022.100391
– Sone, T., Nakaya, N., Ohmori, K., Shimazu, T., Higashiguchi, M., Kakizaki, M., Kikuchi, N., Kuriyama, S., & Tsuji, I. (2008). Sense of Life Worth Living (ikigai) and mortality in Japan: Ohsaki Study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 70(6), 709–715. https://doi.org/10.1097/psy.0b013e31817e7e64
– Yamamoto-Mitani, N., & Wallhagen, M. I. (2002). Pursuit of Psychological Well-Being (Ikigai) and the Evolution of Self-Understanding in the Context of Caregiving in Japan. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 26(4), 399–417. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1021747419204
What gives your life meaning? The big existential question. Let’s address the elephant in the room by making it more approachable through the idea of ikigai. When you think of ikigai, many think of the viral ikigai Venn diagram. The diagram combines what you love, what the world needs, what you can be paid for and what you are good at into your ikigai. Still, I want to clarify that this is a westernized and distorted explanation of the term. The concept originates from Japan and dates back to the Heian period. The word consists of two components: ‘iki’ comes from the verb ikiru, meaning daily living, and ‘gai’ defines value. Thus, the idea represents what you do in your day-to-day life that brings your life worth. Professor Akihiro Hasegawa, an ikigai researcher, described ikigai as a sense of being present and aware of your will to achieve (Kemp, 2019). So, why should you think about your ikigai?
First and foremost, we will investigate the research of ikigai to better understand it, as translating from the Japanese language ikigai seems ambiguous. The first to study ikigai, also known as the mother of ikigai psychology, was Mieko Kamiya, a Japanese psychiatrist from the mid-20th century. Kamiya defined it as the object of the source (ikigai) and the feeling derived from the source (ikigai-kun). For example, many parents would say that their children are their ikigai and caring for them is their ikigai-kun. In her works, Kamiya states that feeling ikigai must satisfy an individual’s personal needs. Namely the need for life satisfaction, for change and growth, for a bright future, for resonance, for freedom, for self-actualization and for meaning and value. Yet, all these needs should feel fulfilled in the act of ikigai, not in accomplishing it. In the same way, pursuing happiness makes you miserable. The journey is the destination.
Subsequently, let’s talk about why having an ikigai would benefit you by looking into people who thrive from it. Ikigai is a recurring theme in blue zones; areas associated with longevity and good health. As Dan Buettner, a longevity explorer, says in a TED talk when he interviewed Okinawan centenarians in the blue zones, they all positively expressed their ikigai. For Okinawans, their ikigai gave them a purpose to wake up every day and carry out fulfilling lives. Furthermore, Buettner continues to say that having this sense of purpose in life can account for an extra seven years of life expectancy. Retirement is a difficult transition for the elderly as workers now need to redistribute their time, which can cause psychosocial stress and even lead to a decline in health. A study found that participants aged 40 to 79, who did not experience ikigai, were at an increased risk of all-cause mortality (Sone et al., 2008). Therefore, a sense of ikigai can diminish stress and related health issues.
Not only does ikigai relate to health, but it has also been found to prevent cognitive decline and thus could maintain your mental functioning. In addition, as reported in the Okinawan blue zone, the elderly population participate in a moai, a circle of friends which supports them and helps them stay active as gardeners in their community (Buettner, 2012). Their ikigai gives them a clear purpose in their day-to-day life; it allows them to assume responsibility and a sense of belonging. A longitudinal study of Japanese older adults highlights that ikigai was associated with decreased depressive symptoms, higher happiness, instrumental activity of daily living and social involvement. As well as that, they found a lower risk of developing functional disability and dementia (Okuzono et al., 2022). Moreover, interviews with Japanese adults who pursued ikigai when caring for their elderly showed evident results: those who failed to maintain ikigai reported passive suicidal ideation, excessive alcohol consumption and negative thoughts (Yamamoto-Mitani & Wallhagen, 2002).
“Carrying yourself with a sense of purpose promotes lasting physical and mental health, allowing longevity and happiness.”
On the same note, ikigai has been observed to share essence with psychotherapy. The link can be seen as a preventive therapy, which helps you better deal with stressors and counter deterioration of your mental health throughout your life. For instance, logotherapy, a form of psychotherapy or “talk therapy”, focuses on the motivational force of an individual to find meaning. The focus is to make the person aware of their purpose and free will to pursue what really matters in life, improving their quality of life. Logotherapy is the first step to finding the intention and guiding yourself into the feeling of purpose, known as ikigai, ultimately leading to intrinsic happiness. Proof of this was found in a group of adolescents with terminal cancer who received logotherapy, effectively reducing suffering and improving their quality of life (Kang et al., 2009). Likewise, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) shares characteristics with ikigai. CBT aims to treat patients by changing their thinking and behavioural patterns (APA, 2017). CBT shares the principles of focusing on the good of meaning beyond ourselves and being present, similar to feeling ikigai and living every day with purpose. The connection between ikigai and CBT is significant because CBT is arguably one of the most researched therapies and has proven to be an effective treatment for anxiety, suicidality, PTSD, substance use and many other disorders (Kring et al., 2017).
Considering all of this, why should you think about your ikigai? Ikigai, having meaning in the present moment, pushes you toward self-actualization and a sense of fulfilment. Carrying yourself with a sense of purpose promotes lasting physical and mental health, allowing longevity and happiness. Ikigai’s connection with psychotherapy highlights the relationship between a meaningful life and subjective well-being. We are uncertain about the directionality of the relationship. Still, the feeling of ikigai counters psychological distress. Nonetheless, don’t get overwhelmed trying to develop the ultimate life’s purpose. Life is inclined to change, and so is your ikigai. Remember to enjoy life and all its little things. The journey is the destination. <<
