Enormous Earthquake in Japan: Coping with Stress Using Purpose-in-Life/Ikigai

Every person has a will to achieve meaning and purpose in life (PIL)/ikigai. According to previous studies, PIL/ikigai provides people with the ability to integrate stressful psychological events from the past, present, and future with less conflict or confusion. This ability results in decreased anxiety and lower sympathetic nervous system activity during psychological and physical stressful situations. PIL/ikigai develops by positive experiences in one’s life such as experiencing sympathetic listening by others and being affected by persons and/or events. Overall, evidence shows that PIL/ikigai is an effective technique for coping with stress and helped many people cope with the enormous earthquake that occurred in Japan in March 2011.