Can Ikigai Predict Anxiety, Depression, and Well-being?

Abstract

The Japanese construct of ikigai reflects a sense of having ‘purpose in life’ or a ‘reason for living and has been associated with a variety of positive health outcomes. However, to date little research into ikigai exists within Western populations. This study explored the predictive power of ikigai for measures of well-being, depression, and anxiety in an adult Western population. Ninety-four participants (70% female) responded to an online survey. After accounting for the covariates of sex, age, employment status, and student status, multiple hierarchical regression indicated that ikigai positively predicted well-being and negatively predicted depression. While on its own, ikigai negatively predicted anxiety; this was not the case after accounting for the aforementioned covariates. The findings support the importance for investigating ikigai in the West and the need for further exploration of ikigai as a potential means of bringing about benefit in mental well-being.

Biopsychosocial Consideration of Ikigai in Older Adults in Japan through a Cross-Sectional Study

“…The correlation between Ikigai and depression as an affective psychological factor has been studied in several earlier studies. Wilkes et al reported a significant negative correlation between them [ 37 ]. Nakao et al [ 38 ] also reported a significant negative correlation between Ikigai and the GDS-15, which was used in this study as a measure of affective psychological state.…”

Exploring interests: A pathway to ikigai and eudaimonic well-being among people with serious mental illness.

“…The processes entailed attaching meaning to one’s life events, setting life goals, committing oneself to an activity, as well as accepting past, current, and future challenges. The conceptual foundation was further strengthened by epidemiological studies showing that the ikigai state is associated with lower mortality rates (Sone et al, 2008; Tanno et al, 2009), milder functional disability (Mori et al, 2017; Tomioka et al, 2016), and better mental health (Okuzono et al, 2022; Wilkes et al, 2022).…”

Common Humanity as an Under-acknowledged Mechanism for Mental Health Peer Support

“…Moreover, CH is an essential component of compassion, which helps us regulate emotions by activating our parasympathetic nervous system (Kim et al, 2020). CH is associated with resilience and quality of life (Dreisoerner et al, 2021;Kotera et al, 2021;Wilkes et al, 2022), which are targeted in the core practices of PS work (Stratford et al, 2019).…”