Religious Attendance and Happiness: Examining Gaps in the Current Literature-A Research Note

Abstract

Two major gaps exist in research examining the positive association between religious attendance and happiness. First, scholars have argued that this association may be because of people's perceived relationship with God or the social cohesion one experiences with other parishioners, but scholars have not studied both pathways simultaneously. Using nationally representative cross-sectional data (General Social Survey), I first examine the influence of one's perceived relationship with God and one's perceived social cohesion within the religious community on happiness. One's perceived relationship with God is more strongly associated with happiness than is social cohesion. Second, scholars overwhelmingly use religious attendance as the independent variable, with happiness as the dependent variable. Using two waves of data from a nationally representative panel study (National Survey of Families and Households), I then examine the relationship between religious attendance and happiness over time, finding that religious attendance has a greater effect on happiness than happiness has on religious attendance.

Leaving my religion: Understanding the relationship between religious disaffiliation, health, and well-being

“…Religious individuals also report that they are happier than the nonreligious. Although this relationship reflects a similar process to the relationship between religion and health, well-being is likely to emphasize different dimensions of religious involvement (Childs, 2010, Ellison, 1991). This is an important area of study for sociologists since the most promising explanations for the health and well-being advantage associated with religion are social in nature (Shor and Roelfs, 2013).…”

“…Attendance at religious services is inherently social, and qualitative research suggests that many individuals place a high value on the social relationships developed through church-based social networks (Banerjee, et al, 2014, Holt and McClure, 2006). The social benefits of attendance are the primary determinants of improvements of well-being for those who attend frequently (Childs, 2010), but these benefits may not occur specifically during attendance (Idler, et al, 2009). Individuals do not receive most of their social ties benefits from the actual act of attending, but instead from the friendship and acquaintance networks that derive therefrom (Rote, et al, 2013), as well as from secular activities such as volunteering and civic engagement (Lewis, et al, 2013).…”

“…Spiritual effects would be more likely to pertain to disaffiliates from strict denominations, such as Evangelical Protestants and high-cost religious groups. These effects should also have a stronger effect on well-being than physical health, and to remain even after accounting for the social benefits of attendance (Childs, 2010). …”

La Salud Mental en La Psicología De La Religión Y De La Espiritualidad

“…A pesar de algunos problemas metodológicos identificados (Schuurmans-Stekhoven, 2011), distintos estudios meta-analíticos reportan asociaciones significativas entre la religiosidad, la espiritualidad y la salud mental (Childs, 2010;Ellison & Levin, 1998;Jim et al, 2015;Yonker, Schnabelrauch, & Dehaan, 2012), tanto en relación a los trastornos del estado del ánimo (Payman & Ryburn, 2010;Van Voorhees et al, 2008;Wachholtz & Pargament, 2008), como a trastornos de ansiedad ( De acuerdo con Coock y Powel (2013), el trabajo de King contradice la literatura en el área, que sugiere que la espiritualidad se asocia positivamente a la salud mental (Gall et al, 2005). Para Piedmont (2004), la relación entre la espiritualidad y la salud mental puede comprenderse en relación con la gestión del sentido de la mortalidad en el marco de la construcción de un sentido más amplio de significado personal en un contexto escatológico.…”

The Effect of Life Satisfaction and Religiosity on Happiness among Post Graduates in Malaysia

“…The greater the individual relationship with God, the happier they are in their life. Childs (2010) has found that of individual perceived relationship with God and individual perceived relationship with other congregants give mediating effect on happiness. A study by San Martin et.…”