Important Correlates of Purpose in Life Identified Through a Machine Learning Approach

•Since purpose in life (PiL) is associated with better mental and physical health, we aimed to determine important correlates of PiL using a machine learning approach.•We identified 10 important correlates for PiL. In order of decreasing effect size, factors associated with lower PiL were loneliness, harm avoidance, older age, and depressive symptoms, while those associated with greater PiL were social support, social activities, more years of education, higher income, normal cognition, and middle-age cognitive activities.•Our findings identified important modifiable factors as potential targets for intervention strategies to enhance PiL.