What did I learn this week? -- A Brief Review: Why Attending Religious Services May Benefit Health

Rabbi Melanie Aron

Friday, May 6, 2005

What did I learn this week?

I learned that attending services weekly, is not just good for your soul, it’s good for your body too.

This new bit of medical information was brought to my attention on Tuesday night by a member of the Introduction To Judaism class. He mentioned an article in the Wall Street Journal about a non-religious physician in Chicago who reviewed various studies about religion and health and reached the conclusion that while religious beliefs may sometimes have a negative effect on health, religious practice was beneficial.

Reviewing the literature, Dr. Lynda Powell of Rush University Medical center in Chicago found that studies showed that religious people who became upset by the belief that God had abandoned them in their illness, or who turned to faith for a cure of their disease and refused medical treatment, suffered negative health consequences. However attendance at services had a positive effect on health. Various studies covering different periods of time, found that among groups with an equal risk for death, there was a 25% lower mortality rate for those who attend religious services at least once weekly. Attendance at services also seemed to help with quitting smoking and warding off depression Interestingly those watching services on tv did not benefit.

Many physicians believe that it is the social network that services provide that is the key factor and that if studies were done of other groups like those who belong to a bingo club or a book discussion group at the local library, the results would be the same. Others believe that religious institutions tend to discourage unhealthy behaviors like excessive drinking and promiscuity, both associated with higher mortality rates.

Dr. Powell has a different theory. She excluded from the review, any study that failed to control for the social benefits of worship attendance as well as the healthy habits of those who attend regularly, and still found a difference. Looking for an explanation, she notes that worship services provide a time for meditation, and a sort of emotional cooling off. She feels that it is this mechanism that religion provides for dealing with anger and distress, and reducing the negative effect of these emotions, which makes the difference.

In these weekly moments of silent prayer, as we shed the stresses of the week, and move toward a calmer more positive approach to our lives, we are helping not only our spirits but our physical beings as well.

For more information: Body and Spirit: Why Attending Religious Services May Benefit Health by Kevin Helliker Wall Street Journal May 3 2005