Lifestyle factors, such as abstinence—both with
regards to sex and alcohol—along with prosocial
behaviors, such as volunteering, were found to be
only partly responsible for the gains, leaving
researchers wanting to do further studies.
(Columbus, OH)—[ StudyFinds.org ] Churchgoing
may be on the decline, but lapsed congregants
have new reason to attend services. Why, you
may ask? Because religious affiliation can
increase lifespan by a handful of years, even
when gender and marital status are taken into
consideration, a new study finds. (Photo credit:
@BenWhitePhotography/Unsplash)
Researchers at Ohio State University recently
conducted an analysis of over 1,600
obituaries across two related studies, hoping
to find whether religiosity helped promote
longevity. It did, with the average congregant
living four extra years.
The researchers' first study looked at 505
obituaries published in the Des Moines
Register in early 2012, noting the age, gender,
religious affiliation, marital status, and
volunteer history of the recently-deceased. A
data analysis showed that the pious among
this group lived nearly nine-and-a-half years
longer than their non-religious neighbors—or
six-and-a-half after their gender and marital
status had been accounted for.
The second study examined this issue from a
broader angle, looking at nearly 1,100
obituaries published across 42 major cities in
the U.S. over a yearlong period. An analysis
of this dataset showed a gain of nearly six
years among those whose religiosity had been
mentioned in the paper, or almost four years
after gender and marital status had been
taken into account.
"Religious affiliation had nearly as strong an
effect on longevity as gender does, which is a
matter of years of life," notes Laura Wallace,
the study's lead author, in a statement.
Perhaps explaining the variation in lifespan
between the two studies, more religious cities
and states promoted longer lifespans—both
for the religious and the religionless.
"The positive health effects of religion spill
over to the non-religious in some specific
situations," Wallace explains. "The spillover
effect only occurs in highly religious cities
that aren't too concerned about everyone
conforming to the same norms. In those areas,
non-religious people tend to live as long as do
religious people."
This begs the question of whether faith itself
is behind all of these differences in lifespan.
Sure enough, lifestyle factors, such as
abstinence—both with regards to sex and
alcohol—along with prosocial behaviors, such
as volunteering, were found partly responsible
for the gains.
Still, these factors only explained some of the
gains found. Volunteerism, for example, was
found to contribute less than a year to
lifespan.
All in all, the variables measured only tell part
of the story, meaning further research is
needed. Future studies could also incorporate
other relevant variables, such as health and
racial background.
regards to sex and alcohol—along with prosocial
behaviors, such as volunteering, were found to be
only partly responsible for the gains, leaving
researchers wanting to do further studies.
(Columbus, OH)—[ StudyFinds.org ] Churchgoing
may be on the decline, but lapsed congregants
have new reason to attend services. Why, you
may ask? Because religious affiliation can
increase lifespan by a handful of years, even
when gender and marital status are taken into
consideration, a new study finds. (Photo credit:
@BenWhitePhotography/Unsplash)
Researchers at Ohio State University recently
conducted an analysis of over 1,600
obituaries across two related studies, hoping
to find whether religiosity helped promote
longevity. It did, with the average congregant
living four extra years.
The researchers' first study looked at 505
obituaries published in the Des Moines
Register in early 2012, noting the age, gender,
religious affiliation, marital status, and
volunteer history of the recently-deceased. A
data analysis showed that the pious among
this group lived nearly nine-and-a-half years
longer than their non-religious neighbors—or
six-and-a-half after their gender and marital
status had been accounted for.
The second study examined this issue from a
broader angle, looking at nearly 1,100
obituaries published across 42 major cities in
the U.S. over a yearlong period. An analysis
of this dataset showed a gain of nearly six
years among those whose religiosity had been
mentioned in the paper, or almost four years
after gender and marital status had been
taken into account.
"Religious affiliation had nearly as strong an
effect on longevity as gender does, which is a
matter of years of life," notes Laura Wallace,
the study's lead author, in a statement.
Perhaps explaining the variation in lifespan
between the two studies, more religious cities
and states promoted longer lifespans—both
for the religious and the religionless.
"The positive health effects of religion spill
over to the non-religious in some specific
situations," Wallace explains. "The spillover
effect only occurs in highly religious cities
that aren't too concerned about everyone
conforming to the same norms. In those areas,
non-religious people tend to live as long as do
religious people."
This begs the question of whether faith itself
is behind all of these differences in lifespan.
Sure enough, lifestyle factors, such as
abstinence—both with regards to sex and
alcohol—along with prosocial behaviors, such
as volunteering, were found partly responsible
for the gains.
Still, these factors only explained some of the
gains found. Volunteerism, for example, was
found to contribute less than a year to
lifespan.
All in all, the variables measured only tell part
of the story, meaning further research is
needed. Future studies could also incorporate
other relevant variables, such as health and
racial background.
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