What will people remember after you’re gone? Why thinking about legacy can change the way you live

When Beth Hunter’s father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in ‘Home and Away’, she asked him if she could record a conversation between them, she could listen to years later. He declined. He was never someone who expressed emotions through long conversations about relationships or death.

Instead, he chose to write down his war experiences by hand, later getting them typed. For him, those stories were the most meaningful thing he could leave behind.

His choice asks a question most people eventually confront, What will remain of us after we are gone?

While thoughts of legacy often appear during later stages of life, researchers suggest that thinking about what we want to leave behind can benefit us much earlier. Understanding our desire to create a lasting impact may help improve mental health, provide a stronger sense of purpose, and help people find meaning in their lives.

“Everyone leaves a legacy, whether you know it or not,” says Hunter, an associate professor at Bowling Green State University who studies legacy among cancer survivors.

Legacy is often misunderstood as wealth, fame, or achievements that survive after death. But researchers describe it as much broader.

It can exist in three forms: biological legacy through genetics and the body, material legacy through possessions and wealth, and a legacy of values through the beliefs, lessons, and principles we pass on to others.

The many ways we leave something behind

For some people, legacy begins with the body itself. Organ donation and body donation for medical research and to help future generations. Studies show that many people who choose these paths are motivated by the desire to give meaning to their own death.

Legacy can also come through family stories, personal experiences, and the lessons people share. In Hunter’s research with cancer survivors, many participants wanted their families to continue positive habits, such as prioritising health screenings and taking care of themselves.

Leaving behind a meaningful influence mattered deeply when they faced the possibility of death.

For those nearing the end of life, legacy activities such as writing letters, creating memory books, recording stories, or preparing an “ethical will,” a document sharing personal values and advice rather than legal instructions can provide comfort. Research suggests these activities may reduce anxiety and depression while helping families process grief.

The legacy people value most

Although material possessions can carry emotional significance, research suggests that what people most want to pass on is often not what they own, but what they believe.

A study examining the stories of women from different backgrounds found that many wanted their legacy to be built around values such as kindness, resilience, faith, and compassion. They hoped to achieve this by setting examples through their actions and by preserving their experiences through writing, storytelling, or recorded memories.

Researchers studying older adults who created legacy documents found that the process helped them on their lives, accept their past experiences, communicate what mattered most, and find peace.

One participant described it as a “tangible gift,” that allowed future generations to understand not just what they had achieved, but who they were.

Why humans care about being remembered

The desire to leave something behind has been studied for decades. In 1950, psychologist Erik Erikson, a German-American child psychoanalyst, introduced the concept of generativity, describing it as a person’s concern for contributing to future generations. He believed that during midlife, people face a key challenge of creating something meaningful that extends beyond themselves.

Later researchers expanded this idea, suggesting that generativity is not limited to middle age but is a lifelong process.

A major reason behind our desire for legacy is our awareness of death.

"It makes people wonder, what’s the point of life if we all die in the end?” says Kimberly Wade-Benzoni, professor of management and organisations at Duke University.

 

“Death is really at the heart of the psychology of legacy motivation.”

She explains that thinking about mortality can change people from “death anxiety” to “death reflection” moving from fear of ending to considering how they want to spend their remaining time.

Psychologist Jesse Bering describes legacy as part of the human need to create a meaningful life story.

“We cast ourselves as the main character in a hero’s journey,” he says, where the lessons we learn become the message passed on to others.

Building a legacy while you are still alive

However, researchers caution against becoming obsessed with how history will judge us. We cannot fully control our legacy because it is ultimately shaped by the people who remain after us.

As Wade-Benzoni explains, “It’s those who inherit it that get to control and interpret it.”

The purpose of thinking about legacy is not to chase recognition after death. Instead, it can help people make choices that align with their values while they are alive.

Studies suggest that when people want to leave behind, they make decisions that benefit future generations from protecting the environment and supporting communities to creating meaningful work.

Legacy, ultimately, is not just about being remembered. It is about understanding what matters enough to carry forward.

The question is not only “How will people remember me when I’m gone?” It is also, “Am I living in a way that creates something worth passing on?”