Photo by Anissa Thompson

If you participate regularly in a faith community, you will benefit physically, not just spiritually or emotionally. Studies* have shown that active participation – that means regular attendance and volunteering – enhance well-being and possibly reduce mortality.

People who attend church are less likely to engage in harmful behaviors and more likely to adopt healthful behaviors. The forced schedule of decompression, self-reflection, and meditation that is part of worship services helps mitigate stress. The faith community also provides a social network, where people can make new friends. All of these lead to a longer, healthier life.

If you don’t have a faith community to call your own, look around – check out groups that align (mostly) with your views on spirituality. If you’re not comfortable with the tradition you were raised with, that’s okay – it’s better to find one that fits.

* Journal of Health and Social Behavior (2004), and the NIH Adventist Health Study (1974-1988).

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 26th, 2009 at 4:01 am and is filed under Articles - Health, Food for Thought. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.