People who regularly participate in religious communities tend to live longer, healthier lives. They are less likely to struggle with addiction and substance abuse or die prematurely, and they experience lower rates of cardiovascular disease.
Those are among the findings of a sweeping new report released today by the Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University and Duke University. The report analyzed 1,069 high-quality studies that investigated the relationship between religious participation and physical health.
The researchers found consistent evidence threaded through the studies that the benefits of religious involvement outweigh their harms across 15 measures of physical health — including cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, addiction and longevity, among others. The report found that positive findings outnumbered negative ones by a ratio of 7 to 1 in physical health and 10 to 1 in mental health.
“That kind of ratio is almost never seen in the social sciences,” said Loren Marks, a professor of family life at Brigham Young University and one of the report’s authors.
Faith traditions’ health codes, strong social connections and beliefs that encourage the view of their bodies as sacred and worthy of care all play a role in these outcomes.
For example, nearly all (98%) of the highest-quality studies on smoking found that religious individuals were less likely to smoke. In over 90% of the top substance abuse and addiction studies, fewer religious people struggled with these issues.
While much of these outcomes can be attributed to health codes, research from Harvard University suggested that faith-based 12-step programs can be more effective than cognitive behavioral therapy.
The term “religious involvement,” used by researchers, refers to people who “are highly committed” to a faith tradition, Marks explained, and attend a house of worship weekly or more over the course of the years. Those who attend only occasionally don’t typically experience the same positive effects. And the benefits are unique to religion as opposed to other social structures.
“High involvement in a faith community is connected with distinct benefits above and beyond other social involvements including political party or social clubs,” according to Marks. “What makes religion powerful is that it has elements of beliefs, practices and community — you get all three if you’re actively involved.”
Marks cautions that religion is not a silver bullet for mental and physical well-being. In some cases, religion can negatively impact health — for instance, when a small religious community experiences a measles outbreak due to lack of vaccinations.
“Religion should not preclude competent medical and mental health professionals,” Marks said. “It should be a partnership, not an exclusive commitment.”
The Wheatley report is based on a selection of studies in the “Handbook of Religion and Health” by professors from Duke and Harvard, which has tracked religion and health studies for two decades. The report on physical health follows the one on mental health (released in May) and is part of the “Religion and Human Flourishing” series.
Wheatley’s report comes at a time when suicide rates in the U.S. have climbed over the past two decades and millions of Americans report that they lack close friendships and meaningful social connections. Physical inactivity, too, has become a major concern; the nation has reached one of the highest inactivity rates in the world at 40%, the report said. This contributes to obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
Against this backdrop, religion may offer some answers for both citizens and policymakers who are trying to strengthen well-being on both individual and community levels.
“What we’re seeing here is something almost unprecedented in terms of a potent source for health,” Marks said.
Mental health
The evidence across the studies suggests that people who are religious tend to have better mental and emotional well-being. The studies that found a positive connection between religion and mental health — 961 of them — significantly outnumber those studies that show harm (101). These positive effects are seen in lower risk of suicide, healthier ways of dealing with stress, less substance abuse and addiction, and greater feelings of hope, purpose and satisfaction with life.
“We need other people like we need air,” Marks said. “Social involvement is very important in any context.”
There are some exceptions to this pattern. Religion seems to be impacting bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in a negative way, some studies showed. “These two mental health disorders have significant biological components that religion is not as helpful with,” said Marks, noting that the studies are inconclusive.
Disease prevention and detection
If you’re religious, you’re more likely to take action to prevent disease, get recommended screenings and follow treatment plans as suggested by doctors.
This preventive behavior, however, depends on the situation. The link between religion and disease prevention is not as strong in the studies as other aspects of health: 60 studies found positive links between religiosity and these behaviors, while 33 found negative links.
In some cases, studies found that religious people disregard medical advice, relying solely on their belief as a cure. Some religious groups are less likely to get vaccines, which can lead to disease outbreaks.
On the other hand, “spiritually framed health messages” can improve rates of cancer screenings.
The report says that “religious healing should be viewed as complementary to, rather than a replacement for, medical care.”
Diet, weight and exercise
Many religions prescribe health codes: Jews follow kosher laws, Muslims follow halal laws and some Christian groups like Seventh-day Adventists and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints prohibit harmful substances like tobacco, alcohol and drugs. Many Buddhists and Hindus also favor vegetarian diets. The religious and cultural guidelines are often connected.
Fasting is a common religious practice and has recently gone more mainstream with the popularity of intermittent fasting. “Modern clinical research has begun catching up with what religious traditions have practiced for millennia: periodic fasting appears to trigger cellular repair processes, improve insulin sensitivity, and lower cardiovascular risk,” according to the report.
But sometimes the sociality of faith communities can also spur unhealthy habits, the report said, like eating sugary and high-cholesterol foods at social gatherings.
Heart disease
In addition to dietary health codes that can alleviate the risks of heart disease, religiosity is connected to personality traits that researchers say support cardiovascular health. For instance, people who are agreeable and conscientious — qualities that people of faith tend to want to cultivate — are less likely to develop heart disease.
Some links are less direct. Religious people tend to have stronger marriages, and married people tend to have better heart health.
For unmarried men especially, religion and the social connections and support networks it often provides can help reduce loneliness and offer protection against heart disease, according to the report. The same goes for high blood pressure and risk of strokes.
Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
About 28 out of 38 studies on the connection between Alzheimer’s and dementia and religion find that religion can help with those diseases.
The reasons could include volunteering and other social activities that improve cognitive functions, particularly for older people, the report said.
Healthier diets and a more active lifestyle, often promoted by faith communities, are also associated with reduced risks of dementia.
Cancer and chronic pain
Research over the past 40 years generally finds that people who are more religious tend to have lower cancer rates, especially in groups with clear health rules about diet, alcohol and tobacco. One major long-term study found that active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had lower cancer death rates than the general population, but similar benefits were also seen in other people who were non-smoking, physically active and regularly attended religious services. More recent studies show a similar pattern, with most finding that higher religiosity is linked to lower cancer rates.
When it comes to chronic pain, religious people might see it through a more positive lens, interpreting it as something that can lead to personal or spiritual growth. This way of thinking can make pain feel more manageable and meaningful.
Substance abuse
Ninety-four percent of studies found religion correlated with lower substance abuse and addiction rates, while about 2% are tied to higher rates.
Faith communities tend to support stronger family structures and closer parental involvement, which are both linked to lower risk of addiction.
Beyond prevention, religion can also support recovery through built-in networks, giving individuals a safer social circle during recovery.
Some research even suggests that religious experiences may activate brain reward systems similarly to addictive substances, which could help reduce cravings.
“That benefit is so significant and striking that we would, well, pay close attention even if that were the only benefit,” Marks said.
Policy recommendations
The report’s authors recommend that healthcare providers and social service agencies offer faith-based support as an option for those who want it, and partner with religious organizations on issues like addiction and suicide prevention. They also advocate for honoring religious freedom in policy decisions.
“I’ve seen examples where medical professionals — wisely utilized, in a nonpartisan kind of way — and a faith community work for better community health,” Marks said. “And when that’s done well, everyone wins. Public health wins, medicine wins, and the faith community wins in terms of having healthier and stronger congregants.”