Does Religion Influence Health?

While statistics today show that more and more individuals are choosing to follow a path with no religious footing, a recent study suggests that those who are involved in some kind of religious or spiritual practices may have healthier lives.

According to lead study author Dr. Roxane Gervais, a British psychologist at the Health and safety Laboratory in Stockport, she discovered a negative correlation between religiousness and the likelihood of suffering from certain mental health issues as depression, anxiety and exhaustion. In other words, religion may work as a shield against certain issues in life through offering to protect the physical and mental well-being of others.

For the study, researchers found that religious employees typically feel like they have more meaning in their lives than those who do not hold any spiritual beliefs. The study also showed that these same individuals felt a greater overall contentment in their lives than those who were not religious.

"As the pace of work and life accelerates, people long for meaning, and the younger generation in particular is looking for more than just a big pay check at the end of the month," Gervais said, via The Telegraph.

"My research shows that religiosity in the workplace may act as a resource, making people more resilient to cope with the many challenges of working life," she added, via a press release. "Such personal beliefs could be very helpful not only for employees, but also for employers providing people with a buffer zone."

More information regarding the findings were presented at the Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society's Division of Occupational Psychology's in Brighton.