The Secret to Long Life & Happiness

People have searched high and low for the secret to long life and happiness. Ponce De Leon thought he found long life in the springs of Florida. Will Smith was Oscar nominated for his Pursuit of Happyness. But both still seem elusive to the masses until now. Apparently, the secret has been in front of us all along. The secret according to a couple of studies is religion.

In a study published in the March-April 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, a study at the University of Pittsburg found that people who attended religious services could add 1.8 to 3.1 years to their life. The study compared the affect religious attendance, exercise, and statins (a specific kind of medication) on life expectancy both in time and in cost. The study concluded that, “The real-world, practical significance of regular religious attendance is comparable to commonly recommended therapies, and rough estimates even suggest that religious attendance may be more cost-effective than statins.” It is important to note that the study does say that “there is no evidence that changing attendance causes a change in health outcomes. Furthermore, even if a patient did start attending church to get well, there are ethical, theological, and methodological problems with this instrumental approach to the associations between faith and health.” However, the study goes on to explain that if people made a life change of their own accord for non-health reasons, the authors could not asses if such a change would accrue the positive results over time.

Futhermore though, religion does not just increase your life expectancy, it makes your life happier. According to an article by Michael E. Nielsen, PhD, Religion and Happiness, “people who are involved in religion also report greater levels of happiness than do those who are not religious.” This seemed to be true universally, except for cases of mysticism and times of religious conflict. Nielsen synthesizes studies on religion and happiness reporting that the “extra” happiness may be a result of social support, firm beliefs, and religious experiences themselves.

I encourage you not to keep this information to yourself but to share it. Certainly, one should not come to faith for personal benefit. But if you come because you believe that there is benefit to religion, then perhaps as you look for the benefits, you may find the Truth. For those of you that are already reaping the benefits, albeit as a side effect of your natural behavior, isn’t this better than sit ups?