Using AI to Find Your Life’s Great Purpose
Introduction
If you’re feeling lost or uncertain about your life’s purpose, you are not alone. Many of us struggle with this question at some point in our lives. Finding your purpose can be a powerful tool in helping with depression. It can provide us with a greater sense of direction, meaning, and motivation in life. This can help us feel more fulfilled and satisfied with our lives, which can help alleviate symptoms of depression. However, it can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to finding the answers.
Fortunately, advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are making it easier than ever to explore this question and gain insights that can help guide you on your path. We’ll explore prompts we used to help answer this question using Chat GPT. We’ll also discuss other AI services you may not have heard of to help explore your purpose and improve your overall well-being.
Research
Can we really trust AI to help us answer these big-picture questions and help manage our well-being? Recent research shows that we can.
One study found that AI-assisted therapy was effective in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. The study used a chatbot-based intervention that provided cognitive behavioral therapy techniques1. And with advancements in AI, these services can be personalized and tailored to your specific needs.
AI can also be used to identify at-risk individuals early, before symptoms start to set in and complicate the treatment process. Another study found that an AI trained to analyze medical records can predict mental health crises with a high level of accuracy in individuals with high-risk symptoms2.
Using AI for mental health can be helpful for people who can’t afford traditional therapy. Some people live in areas where there is little access to these services who stand to benefit as well.
Chat GPT
Chat GPT’s popularity has sky-rocketed in the past months. People have been using it to write lines of code, conduct research, and even complete homework assignments and exams. The AI platform can analyze your input and generate responses based on a massive database of information so that it can provide a range of perspectives and ideas you might not have considered before.
Through trial and experimentation, this prompt yielded great, personalized answers about purpose:
Prompt:
I want you to help me explore my life’s purpose. I’ve answered the following questions for you to help you get started:
What do you have experience in? Did you like what you studied/did? – [RESPONSE]
What are some things you enjoy doing in your free time? – [RESPONSE]
What are some tasks or activities that you find fulfilling or satisfying? – [RESPONSE]
What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning? – [RESPONSE]
What are some goals you have for your future? – [RESPONSE]
What are some values that are important to you? – [RESPONSE]
What are some areas in your life where you feel you are making a positive impact? – [RESPONSE]
What are some areas in your life where you feel unfulfilled or dissatisfied? – [RESPONSE]
If Chat GPT’s initial response doesn’t impress you, you can respond with corrections to improve its answers. For example, we asked it to rank its responses based on salary-earning potential. We also asked about the best ways to enter certain spaces or pursue specific purposes. We found Chat GPT provided valid and relevant options within approximately 2-5 responses.
Other AI Services
While everyone has been talking about Chat GPT, over 2,000 new AI tools have been launched over the past 30 days. Here are some other AI tools you may not have heard of to help you explore your purpose and improve your mental health and overall well-being.
- Replika is an AI chatbot that learns from your conversations to create a personalized empathetic and supportive companion. Replika’s creator, Eugenia Kuyda, created the chatbot after a friend of hers died in 2015. She converted their text message conversations into a chatbot which helped her continue the conversations that they had together. That chatbot eventually became Replika. You can create and customize your Replika avatar and talk with it to explore your interests, goals, and emotions. The more you speak with it, the more personalized and relevant its answers become.
- Happify is an AI-powered platform that helps users improve their mental health and well-being. The platform offers activities and games based on principles of science and psychology to reduce stress, boost resilience, and increase happiness.
Self Pause: Your AI Life Coach (App)
- SelfPause Life Coach is an AI-powered virtual coach that helps users set and achieve personal and professional goals. The platform offers personalized coaching and support, as well as data analytics to track progress and measure success.
- If your new purpose involves a career change, check out Kick Resume. It’s an AI-powered platform that helps users create professional resumes and cover letters. It uses machine learning and natural language processing to analyze job postings and provide personalized recommendations for optimizing resumes and cover letters.
- If your new purpose involves traveling the world, you’ll love this AI platform. Tripnotes AI is an AI-powered platform that helps users plan and organize travel itineraries. It analyzes users’ travel preferences and provides personalized recommendations for flights, accommodations, activities, and more.
Conclusion
If you’re feeling lost or uncertain about your life’s purpose, there are not several AI-powered tools available to help you explore your interests and goals. With the help of these tools, you can gain valuable insights and support to guide you on your path toward a more fulfilling life.
It’s important to keep in mind that these AI services are NOT a replacement for human guidance or support. Recognize that its responses are generated by algorithms, not a human being. While AI can provide helpful insights and guidance, it’s always important to seek out professional help if you are struggling with depression or other mental health issues. Take these answers as pieces of the puzzle, not a definitive answer to your life’s purpose.
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References
- Mehta A, Niles AN, Vargas JH, Marafon T, Couto DD, Gross JJ. Acceptability and Effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence Therapy for Anxiety and Depression (Youper): Longitudinal Observational Study. J Med Internet Res. 2021 Jun 22;23(6):e26771. doi: 10.2196/26771. PMID: 34155984; PMCID: PMC8423345.
- Garriga, R., Mas, J., Abraha, S., et al. Machine learning model to predict mental health crises from electronic health records. Nat Med 28, 1240–1248 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-01811-5
