I’m not going to tell you which religion, faith, or spirituality is right for you. But I will tell you, to maximize happiness, you should have some.

If you’re skeptical, please read on.

Research reporting from the Harvard Human Flourishing Program makes a compelling case for the role of faith in happiness.

Large longitudinal studies suggest that religious service attendance has numerous positive effects on well-being such as reductions in all-cause mortality, depression, suicide, and more. (1)

These findings are supported by several meta-analyses including a 2022 project by researchers at the Human Flourishing Program and the Initiative on Health, Spirituality, and Religion at Harvard, under the leadership of Dr. Tracy Balboni. Their systematic review of the relationship between religion and health was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It showed religious participation was beneficial with respect to longevity, depression, suicide, smoking, drug use, alcohol abuse, and various aspects of quality of life and well-being. (2)

So, again, I do not want to prescribe to you a certain religion, creed, or tradition. Our discussion simply centers on research and expert experience that suggest that religion is a useful “tool” in cultivating happiness.

So perhaps “tool” is a good word. I don’t say that in a condescending way. But in the same way that a business philosophy can be a tool for navigating an economic environment. Or the same way a map can help you arrive at a destination. Perhaps a religion, spiritual tradition, or sort of faith can be a psychological buffer and – especially if you have some organized, faith-based community around it – a relationship-building mechanism to promote a better life.

When it comes to a religious, spiritual, or faith-based orientation, we need not know completely why or how it works, simply that it does. But I wager there are some real practical, tangible mechanisms at work here.

Read the full entry in my latest Happiness Encyclopedia…

REFERENCES

1) Sacks, C. A., et al. (2016). | Kim, E. S., & Kawachi, I. (2016). | VanderWeele, T. J., Li, S., Tsai, A. C., & Kawachi, I. (2016). | Stavrova, O. (2020).

2) Balboni, T. A., VanderWeele, T. J., Doan‑Soares, S. D., Long, K. N. G., Ferrell, B. R., Fitchett, G., … Koh, H. K. (2022, July 12).

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