Pew: Religious People are Happier

08 Feb 2019
News

People who are actively engaged in religious life tend to be happier than either those who are religiously unaffiliated or inactive according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of survey data from the United States and more than two dozen other countries.

Religiously active people also tend to smoke and drink less though they are not generally healthier in terms of exercise or obesity. In most countries, religious people are not more likely to rate themselves as being in very good overall health but the U.S. appears to be an exception in this area as many previous studies have found positive correlation between religion and health in the United States. For example, Americans who regularly attend religious services tend to live longer and religion may help breast cancer patients cope better with stress.

Read more on The Pew Research Center