Wall Street Journal, The Mental-Health Benefits Linked to Going to Church:

Active religious practice, such as going to churches, synagogues and mosques, is linked to mental well-being, according to a growing body of research.

One possible explanation for the link, researchers and clergy say, is that places of worship can provide community and belonging, which are big drivers in mental well-being, and help counter isolation and loneliness.

The findings come at a time of declining regular attendance at services across nearly all faith denominations and rising rates of depression and anxiety. Young people in particular have low rates of church attendance and report often feeling lonely and anxious.

“There is a mounting body of empirical evidence suggesting that people who are active in their faith tend to be the recipients of a number of important physical and mental-health benefits,” says Byron Johnson, professor of social sciences at Baylor University [and Pepperdine University]. 

Believing in a higher power can foster a sense of connection, research has shown. Helping others, which many religions facilitate through organized-outreach programs, builds compassion, which psychologists have found can improve mental health. …

In recent years, many people have left churches, or never attended in the first place, because they don’t feel accepted. Young people, in particular, have expressed feelings of alienation over some religions’ stances on gender, abortion and sexual orientation, and of exclusion because they don’t fit a religious community’s mold.

Baylor’s Johnson co-directs a study on what makes people flourish. He and researchers at Harvard University, in conjunction with Gallup, found that among 200,000 people surveyed worldwide, those attending religious services weekly had higher “flourishing” scores than those who never attended. …

A study by Sapien Labs, which conducts a global online survey of  240,000 people in 65 countries, found that countries with the lowest mental well-being scores have lower levels of active religious practice, such as attending services, practicing rituals or prayers, and reading scriptures. Sapien defines mental well-being as the ability to handle adversity and function productively.

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