World survey links religion and happiness -- for some

August 9, 2011 in Psychology & Psychiatry

(Medical Xpress) -- There may be a few atheists in foxholes, but a new study suggests that in societies under stress, those who are religious outnumber – and are happier than – their nonreligious counterparts. Where peace and plenty are the norm, however, religious participation is lower and people are happier whether or not they are religious, the researchers found.

A paper describing the research appears in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

The study analyzed data from the 2005-2009 Gallup World Poll, a survey of in more than 150 countries that included questions about affiliation, life satisfaction, respect, social support and positive and negative feelings. The researchers also looked at 2009 Gallup polling data from the U.S.

This is the first study to analyze religion and its relationship to happiness on a global scale, said University of Illinois emeritus professor of psychology Ed Diener, who led the research and is a senior scientist with the Gallup Organization.

Previous studies, many of them focused on the U.S., suggested that religious people tend to be happier than nonreligious people, Diener said. The new findings indicate, however, that religiousness and happiness are closely linked to the characteristics of the societies in which people live, he said.

"Circumstances predict religiousness," he said. "Difficult circumstances lead more strongly to people being religious. And in religious societies and in difficult circumstances, religious people are happier than nonreligious people. But in nonreligious societies or more benign societies where many people's needs are met, religious people aren't happier – everyone's happier."

Religious affiliation appears to boost happiness and well-being in societies that fail to provide adequate food, jobs, health care, security and educational opportunities, the researchers found. Religious people in religious societies are more likely to report that they feel respected, receive more social support and experience more positive and less negative feelings than their peers who are not religious.

In secular societies, which in many cases are wealthier and have more social supports, religious and nonreligious people experience higher well-being and positive feelings. Religious people in secular countries report more than the nonreligious do, however.

The same trends can be seen in individual states of the U.S., the researchers found, with more people reporting they are religious in poorer states with fewer social supports, Diener said. Their religiousness also seems to boost their well-being and positive feelings, compared to their nonreligious compatriots.

The differences in religiousness between states is quite pronounced, the researchers found, with Mississippi reporting the highest (88) and Vermont the lowest (44) percent of people reporting that religion is an important part of their daily life.

Globally, 68 percent of people surveyed said that they were religious.

More information: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Aug 1, 2011. doi: 10.1037/a0024402

Provided by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign search and more info website

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ShotmanMaslo
Aug 09, 2011

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So, the Marx was right in this one.

"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness."
RobertKarlStonjek
Aug 09, 2011

Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
God and I have at least one thing in common: Neither of us believe in a higher power that created us...
2020
Aug 10, 2011

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God and I have at least one thing in common: Neither of us believe in a higher power that created us...

Indeed" In God's case, He can PROVE there is no higher power...in your case...ha, ha, let's just say, 'It is wise to never take one's self too seriously! One minute you are sitting down comparing yourself to God and the next minute you are choking to death on a chicken bone and it just so happens there's not a darn thing you or anyone else can do about it. One minute you are flying home and the next minute...someone is using your plane to remove some buildings.'
In the human condition, it is good to have a well developed sense of humor...it extends life and helps us embrace our mortality. That really is what makes God so hard to believe, He ain't us & He does EVERYTHING D way He wants. 'HEY, this is God., I want you 2 drive on D wrong side of D street all D way home.' Sure God! Whatever you say...but, since YOU said it, it's the correct side now!! humor-
word-2-ya-muthas
cyberCMDR
Aug 15, 2011

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One can also be happier if you drink a lot, meditate, or do a number of things. This validates people's need for a crutch, more than anything. It's fine if religion makes people happy, but unfortunate that religious people often feel compelled to "fix" the world to fit their beliefs, like getting evolution out of the science classroom (or blowing up non-believers). Religion provides an alternate universe for the believers to live in, where they know God's will and try to enforce it. Religion isn't the opiate of the masses, it is their hallucinogen.
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