Faith and Well-Being Linked in New Poll


by Bob Curley on November 1, 2010



The most religious Americans also have the highest self-reported well-being scores, according to the latest data from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.



Very religious people scored 68.7 on the 0-100 Index, compared to 64.2 for those who identified themselves as moderately religious, and 64.2 for nonreligious Americans. “Very religious” was defined as people for whom religion “is an important part of daily life and church/synagogue/mosque attendance occurs at least every week or almost every week.”



Nearly 44 percent of Americans identified themselves as “very religious,” Gallup found.



The survey controlled for factors like income, region, marital status, age, ethnicity, and gender. Researchers found that the link between religion and well-being was pretty consistent across the country.



No cause-and-effect relationship was established, and Gallup noted that people with high levels of well-being could choose to be more religious.



On the other hand, “It is also possible that the relationship is straightforward, that something about religiosity, defined as a personal importance placed on religion and frequent religious service attendance, in turn leads to a higher level of personal wellbeing.”



“Religious service attendance promotes social interaction and friendship with others, and Gallup analysis has clearly shown that time spent socially and social networks themselves are positively associated with wellbeing,” according to Gallup. “Religion generally involves more meditative states and faith in a higher power, both of which have been widely used as methods to lower stress, reduce depression, and promote happiness. Religion provides mechanisms for coping with setbacks and life’s problems, which in turn may reduce stress, worry, and anger. Many religions, including Christianity, which is by far the dominant religion in the U.S., embody tenets of positive relationships with one’s neighbors and charitable acts, which may lead to a more positive mental outlook.”