In our most recent Creative Confidence Series chat, IDEO U Dean Suzanne Gibbs Howard sat down with Brynn Harrington, Director of People Growth at Facebook, to discuss the question, what’s truly motivating to people in the modern workplace? They also explored the topics of a recent Harvard Business Review article Brynn co-authored: The 3 Things Employees Really Want: Career, Community, Cause.

The average person works 1,842 hours a year. That adds up to 92,100 hours over a 50-year career. And during those hours, sometimes it’s easy to forget why we do what we do. But the research is clear, individuals are more fulfilled and organizations perform better when they’re rooted in an authentic purpose. Here are five studies that show why purpose matters.

When the company purpose focuses on making a meaningful change in the world, it stokes employees’ passion, inspires them, and injects powerful meaning into their work.