Religion is better for mental health than volunteering or sports, study says


Natalie West, who came daily novena, prays during the 8am service at St Ignatius Catholic Church in 2011.

(Benjamin Brink/The Oregonian)

A new study suggests joining a religious organization is better for mental health than volunteering or playing sports.

The same study found that joining a community organization, such as a political club, actually decreased happiness in the long run.

The study, conducted by researchers at the London School of Economics and the Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands, was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology this spring.

Researchers focused on European adults ages 50 and above. They looked at data for 9,000 people, analyzing ways different social activities influenced the subjects' moods. Researchers put the social activities into four categories:

  1. Volunteering or charitable work
  2. Taking educational or training courses
  3. Participation in religious organizations
  4. Participation in political or community organizations

Participating in a religious organization was the only social activity associated with sustained happiness. Past studies have shown that being socially engaged is good for mental health, but this new study suggests that the benefits might vary between activities.

"One of the most puzzling findings is that although healthier people are more likely to volunteer, we found no evidence that volunteering actually leads to better mental health," Mauricio Avendano said in a press release. "It may be that any benefits are outweighed by other negative impacts of volunteering, such as stress."

It's not clear whether the benefits come from faith itself or from being in a religious community, researchers said in the study.

Faith groups can provide a sense of belonging and purpose. Participating in a religious organization can influence lifestyle choices, researchers said, and help older people cope with illness and death.

So why might involvement in a political or community club result in longterm unhappiness? Researchers said that trend might be explained by a sense of futility.

Study subjects saw mental health benefits at first, perhaps because they felt optimistic. But by the time the study concluded, those subjects expressed increased unhappiness, possibly because they put forth a lot of effort for little reward.

-- Melissa Binder