A rich man may find it harder to get into heaven than a camel does passing through the eye of a needle, but he may not think he needs to count on heaven in the first place. In well-off but secular countries such as France and the Netherlands, both the religious and the nonreligious report about the same level of happiness and social support.
In fact, Gallup data shows that some of the happiest nations in the world—Nordic countries such as Denmark and Sweden, which perennially score high on well-being—are comparatively abundant in atheists. If religion provides a kind of existential security in poor countries, the welfare state may do the same in rich ones. The comparatively low levels of inequality in those unreligious Nordic nations likely play a role too. Studies also point to the fact that the protective social qualities of religion work best in societies where religion is widely practiced.
In a fairly religious country like the U. The opposite is true in a country such as the Netherlands, where atheism is widespread. Those religious social ties are weaker—and with them, the protective qualities of spirituality. Another report, from the National Bureau of Economic Research, found that people living in an area with a higher density of co-religionists are more likely to participate in religious activities.
The value of religion depends in part on the cultural values behind it. The idea that happiness should be the goal of religion is a fairly recent one, and it would have been unrecognizable to the stern Protestants who landed on Plymouth Rock, who believed that the point of existence was the glorification of God—not human happiness.
Lucchetti, G. Explore; 7 4 McCullough, M. Religious involvement and mortality: A meta-analytic review. Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications. Psychological Bulletin; 1 Merkes, M. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for people with chronic diseases. Australian Journal of Primary Health;16 3 Murphy, P. Belief in a concerned god predicts response to treatment for adults with clinical depression.
Journal of Clinical Psychology; 65 9 Musial, F. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for integrative cancer care: a summary of evidence. Forsch Komplementmed;18 4 Pennebaker, J. Expressive writing and its links to mental and physical health. Friedman Ed. Sengupta, P. Health impacts of yoga and pranayama: A state-of-the-art review. International Journal of Preventative Medicine;3 7 Southwick, S. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Yadav, R. A short-term, comprehensive, yoga-based lifestyle intervention is efficacious in reducing anxiety, improving subjective well-being and personality. International Journal of Yoga, 5 2 , The following are a few more of the many positive findings related to spirituality and its influence on physical and mental health:.
This, along with other research, demonstrates that there may be tangible and lasting benefits to maintaining involvement with a spiritual community. This involvement, along with the gratitude that can accompany spirituality, can be a buffer against stress and is linked to greater levels of physical health.
Dedication to God or a "higher power" translated into less stress reactivity, greater feelings of well-being, and ultimately even a decreased fear of death. People who feel comfortable and comforted using spirituality as a coping mechanism for stress can rest assured that there's even more evidence that this is a good idea for them.
Prayer works for young and old alike. Prayer and spirituality have been linked to:. Whether you are rediscovering a forgotten spiritual path, reinforcing your commitment to an already well-established one, or seeking a new source of spiritual fulfillment, exploring your spiritual side may help improve your well-being.
Research shows, however, that some spiritual stress relief strategies have been helpful to many, regardless of faith. One potential pitfall of spirituality is a phenomenon known as spiritual bypassing. This involves a tendency to use spirituality as a way to avoid or sidestep problems, emotions, or conflicts. For example, rather than apologizing for some type of emotional wound you have caused someone else, you might bypass the problem by simply excusing it and saying that "everything happens for a reason" or suggesting that the other person just needs to "focus on the positive.
Spirituality can enrich your life and lead to a number of benefits, but it is important to be cautious to not let spiritual ideals lead to pitfalls such as dogmatism or a reason to ignore the needs of others. Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Akbari M, Hossaini SM. The relationship of spiritual health with quality of life, mental health, and burnout: The mediating role of emotional regulation. Iran J Psychiatry. Coping with daily stress: Differential role of spiritual experience on daily positive and negative affect.
Manning LK. Spirituality as a lived experience: Exploring the essence of spirituality for women in late life. Int J Aging Hum Dev. Spirituality recognises that your role in life has a greater value than what you do every day. Spirituality can also be used as a way of coping with change or uncertainty. It's not always easy to find the right place to start. Our 'What's on your mind?
What is spirituality? There are some pretty clear ways in which religion and spirituality differ. Organised vs freeform One way to understand the relationship between spirituality and religion is to imagine a game of football.
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