Is religion a good thing that can guarantee that it's followers live happier, healthier lives? Or does religion in some cases negatively impact it's followers well-being? What types of factors can moderate this relationship in individuals?

Religion as a Positive and Unique Contributor to Well-Being

James, A. & Wells, A. (2003). Religion and mental health: Towards a cognitive-behavioral framework. British Journal of Health Psychology, 8, 359-376.

• Religion provides a salient generic mental model (schema) that provides a basis for guiding appraisals of life events (especially stressful events) and promotes well-being. This schema allows followers (esp. those who are deeply committed to their faith) to maintain a sense of meaning, control, and predictability in the world by offering explanations for things which secular belief systems can not explain. This increased perception of control, belief in a just world, and an interactive problem-solving process between the individual and God have all been positively linked to well-being, self-esteem, decreased levels of behavioral upset, and higher overall adjustment following a crisis (Jenkins & Pargament, 1988; Pargament et al., 1985; Dalbert et al., 2001).
  
  
• Most major studies on suggest that religion is positively correlated with well-being (Bergin, 1983: 47% positive relationship), especially for those individuals who exhibit an intrinsic religious orientation which is linked to the absence of illness, decreased depression, anxiety, and substance misuse, shorter remission times for depression, increased appropriate social behavior, freedom from worry and guilt, personal competence and control, and unification and organization.
  
  
• Religious behaviors such attendance at religious meetings, studying religious material, individual prayer, etc. have all been linked to positive well-being and mental health (Peterson & Roy, 1985). In particular, colloquial and meditative prayers were positively associated with all measures of well-being (Poloma & Gallup, 1991). Religion-centered therapies such as Cognitive-Behavioral therapies with religious-imagery treatments was more successful than alternative treatments for religious individuals (Propst, 1996; Worthington et al., 1996).
  
  
• Religion is especially important in relation to coping. In particular, it can be a useful to it’s followers as an element of coping (through cognitive activities, behavioral activities & collaborative responses), something that shapes the coping process (influences the likelihood that certain negative events might occur & effects the individual’s appraisal of certain events), and something that can be a product of coping (as painful experiences sometimes draw people closer to God).
  
  
• Religion can help promote metacognitive control and the self-regulation of thinking processes. Religious behaviors that contribute to self-regulation (such as meditative & conversational prayer) help reduce self-focus and worry, increase feelings of control, enhance change, promote a positive acceptance of life events, and improve psychological resilience.

Religion as a Negative Contributor to Well-Being

Exline, J.J. (2002). Stumbling blocks on the religious road: Fractured relationships, nagging vices, and the inner struggle to believe. Psychological Inquiry, 13, 182-189.

• Religion can lead to interpersonal strains such as disagreement, dissonance, and disgust if believers have close relationships with others who do not share the same religious convictions. This is particularly true if the individual believes that others are destined to go to hell and feels that they have a moral responsibility to speak with friends and loved ones, yet is conflicted or faces negative consequences from such interactions. In fact, research suggests that some nonbelievers even experience strong feelings of distaste or distrust towards religious individuals which could cause believers to encounter strong disapproval from friends and family who do not understand or respect their decision.
  
  
• Religion can also negatively impact well-being when an individual experiences disappointment, anger, or mistrust toward God. Especially following negative life events, individuals who had previously placed a good deal of faith in God can experience feelings of pain and anger which (when left unresolved) can lead to depression and anxiety.
  
  
• Religion can lead to an inner struggle to believe when intellectual barriers and dissonance make it hard for an individual to reconcile their religious beliefs and their reason. For people who were not originally religious changing their beliefs may require a great deal of cognitive work and be difficult and stressful. However, even those believers who do come from a religious background may struggle with specific religious doctrines which are inconsistent with their beliefs and as such may resort to cafeteria-style religion or do-it-yourself spirituality in order to reduce cognitive dissonance.
  
  
• Self-transcendent or self-sacrificing behaviors seem to invite abuse from others who are not following the same set of values, and the pursuit of virtue may sometimes also cause religious individuals to give up activities which they previously found to be pleasurable.
  
  
• Religious individuals can be negatively impacted when they (inevitably) fail to exhibit self-control and are such constantly reminded of their shortcomings. This is particularly true because religious individuals must constantly face personal and social resistance to their pursuit of virtue and self-control is sometimes a very limited capacity.

Constructive versus Destructive Religion:

Hanford, J.T. (2004). Destructive and constructive religion in relation to shame and terror. In J.H. Ellens (Ed.), The destructive power of religion: Religion, psychology, and violence (pp.235-249). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.

• Destructive religion produces and legitimates prejudical shame, toxic shame, and shamelessness; terror and violence; and anti-intellectualism.
  
  
• Constructive religion provides critical analysis of terror and violence, stimulates an academic study of religion, and develops healthy shame.
  

Discussion Questions:

• Do you think that religious people are happier than those who are not religious?
  
  
• If religion makes people happier is it then good?
  
  
• If religion is a negative contributor to well-being then is it evil, or simply bad?

References:

Exline, J.J. (2002). Stumbling blocks on the religious road: Fractured relationships, nagging vices, and the inner struggle to believe. Psychological Inquiry, 13, 182-189.


James, A. & Wells, A. (2003). Religion and mental health: Towards a cognitive-behavioral framework. British Journal of Health Psychology, 8, 359-376.