Health Enhanced by Faith Factor

Headlines scream "Religious family refuses to allow treatment for dying child". These horror stories abound of how someone has come to harm due to rigid religious beliefs. However, such coverage paints a misleading picture of the relationship between religion and health. According to a recent survey of 78 different research studies, most people are helped, not harmed as a result of their religious commitment. In the majority of cases, religion significantly enhances physical health, partly due to imparting a healthy outlook on life, the research survey found.

"There is a clear and undeniable influence that religion has on the prevention of illness and the promotion of health," noted researchers from Grove City College and Bowling Green State University. "The religion-physical health linkage has been largely overlooked."

The researchers comprehensively surveyed these studies to discover whether, in general, religious commitment is beneficial or harmful to physical health. Overall, they found religious commitment usually bolsters health.

Why might religion promote physical health? The authors suggested five factors based on their review of these published studies as to why religion is associated with better health: lifestyle choices, social support, hope, comfort, and the positive effects of prayer.

First, religious commitment can influence lifestyle choices that have a positive impact on health. For instance, holding to religious tenets can curtail drug abuse or illicit sex. Some religious groups have dietary restrictions that enhance nutrition or prohibit tobacco or alcohol use, which can also advance health.

Secondly, strong, compassionate social networks, found in many churches and synagogues, provide help for persons under intense stress or emotional upheaval. These supportive social networks help buffer the stress that leads to illness later on, studies have found.

The researchers noted a third health benefit of religious faith is its ability to give a sense of meaning and hope, providing optimism when adverse circumstances hit. This also helps relieve stress, enhancing coping and recovery from physical setbacks.

Religion also contributes to better health because it "is often a source of comfort when confronting threatening events, especially to the physical self," the researchers explained. "Images of God as benevolent, stable and powerful....(were) associated with reduced anxiety." Feeling that one is connected to something greater than oneself can be of great solace to the suffering.

Finally, when calamity strikes, "one particularly effective and frequently used coping technique appears to be prayer," summarized the researchers. They noted, "It might not be the frequency of prayer as much as the content, intensity, and style of prayer" that helps people effectively cope with stress.

Dr. David Larson, psychiatrist and president of the National Institute for Healthcare Research (NIHR), echoed his agreement. "Religion is good for your health. Study after study confirms this. The enhanced coping skills and better recoveries of the religious patient are some of the most overlooked, yet significant, factors in modern healthcare."

Reference: Hill, Peter C. and Butter, Eric M. (1995.) "The Role of Religion in Promoting Physical Health." Journal of Psychology and Christianity 14(2):141-155.