Tuesday, March 18, 2008 | Reason : In the News | print version

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Religion 'linked to happy life'

by BBC News

Thanks to Chris Ward for the link.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7302609.stm

Religion 'linked to happy life'

A belief in God could lead to a more contented life, research suggests.

Religious people are better able to cope with shocks such as losing a job or divorce, claims the study presented to a Royal Economic Society conference.

Data from thousands of Europeans revealed higher levels of "life satisfaction" in believers.

However, researcher Professor Andrew Clark said other aspects of a religious upbringing unrelated to belief may influence future happiness.

This is not the first study to draw links between religion and happiness, with a belief among many psychologists that some factor in either belief, or its observance, offering benefits.

Professor Clark, from the Paris School of Economics, and co-author Dr Orsolya Lelkes from the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, used information from household surveys to analyse the attitudes of Christians - both Catholic and Protestant - not only to their own happiness, but also to issues such as unemployment.

Their findings, they said, suggested that religion could offer a "buffer" which protected from life's disappointments.

Professor Clark said: "We originally started the research to work out why some European countries had more generous unemployment benefits than others, but our analysis suggested that religious people suffered less psychological harm from unemployment than the non-religious.

"They had higher levels of life satisfaction".

Purpose of life

Even though churchgoers were unsurprisingly more likely to oppose divorce, they were both less psychologically affected by marital separation when it did happen, he said.

"What we found was that religious people were experiencing current day rewards, rather than storing them up for the future."

However, he said that the nature of the surveys used meant that undetected factors, perhaps in the lifestyle or upbringing of religious people, such as stable family life and relationships, could be the cause of this increased satisfaction.

The precise contribution of religion to mental health remains controversial, although there is other evidence that it does directly improve happiness, said Professor Leslie Francis, from the University of Warwick.

He said that the benefit might stem from the increased "purpose of life" felt by believers.

He said: "These findings are consistent with other studies which suggest that religion does have a positive effect, although there are other views which say that religion can lead to self-doubt, and failure, and thereby have a negative effect.

"The belief that religion damages people is still in the minds of many."

'Meaningless'

Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, which represents the interests of atheists and agnostics, said that studies purporting to show a link between happiness and religion were "all meaningless".

"Non-believers can't just turn on a faith in order to be happy. If you find religious claims incredible, then you won't believe them, whatever the supposed rewards in terms of personal fulfilment.

"Happiness is an elusive concept, anyway - I find listening to classical music blissful and watching football repulsive.

"Other people feel exactly the opposite. In the end, it comes down to the individual and, to an extent, their genetic predispositions."

But Justin Thacker, head of Theology for the Evangelical Alliance, said that there should now be no doubt about the connection between religious belief and happiness.

"There is more than one reason for this - part of it will be the sense of community and the relationships fostered, but that doesn't account for all of it.

"A large part of it is due to the meaning, purpose and value which believing in God gives you, whereas not believing in God can leave you without those things."

Posted: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 | Permalink

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1. Comment #145956 by alfonso on March 18, 2008 at 12:05 pm

That does not make it true.

Other Comments by alfonso

2. Comment #145958 by Geoff on March 18, 2008 at 12:08 pm

News just in: delusions make you happy!

Big deal. So do alcohol & marijuana.

Other Comments by Geoff

3. Comment #145959 by Quine on March 18, 2008 at 12:08 pm

And exactly how are you going to do the randomized double blind study of this?

Other Comments by Quine

4. Comment #145961 by al-rawandi on March 18, 2008 at 12:09 pm

This is bullshit, and a false conclusion.

Intelligence is generally linked to greater pessimism. Greater intelligence is also linked to diminished belief in religion.

Thus the credulous fool is happier because he is more optimistic and has no idea his head is up his ass.

The smarter the person, the more they realize that the world is a shitty place filled with the aforementioned morons, fucking it up for everyone else.

So in that sense, being stupider is conducive to a happy life. Although I feel I am a pretty happy person.

Other Comments by al-rawandi

5. Comment #145963 by hungarianelephant on March 18, 2008 at 12:10 pm

Cocker spaniels also tend to lead happy lives. I wouldn't want to be one, though.

Other Comments by hungarianelephant

6. Comment #145965 by Epinephrine on March 18, 2008 at 12:11 pm

Also in the news, frontal lobotomy has calming effect on psychotics.

Other Comments by Epinephrine

7. Comment #145968 by Gymnopedie on March 18, 2008 at 12:16 pm

A feel-good delusion combined with a sense of community is religion to most people. So what's the big deal? This "study" is just more rubber bullets for the religiously inclined to use against the big bad forces of secularism.

Favorite Christian Apologist: "Secularism makes you suicidal and miserable, just look at this new study! This proves the only path to happiness is through Jesus, now proven scientifically, of course."

This actually throws me off a bit, because aren't Christians supposed to embrace suffering and misery? It makes them closer to God, remember? Oh, but who cares about Theology.

Other Comments by Gymnopedie

8. Comment #145970 by JamesDB on March 18, 2008 at 12:20 pm

Hah this really does show that religion is a crutch.

I agree with you Geoff, why don't they conduct a survey to see if people who drink or smoke weed are happier then the religious. This survey is too vague to be taken seriously.

Other Comments by JamesDB

9. Comment #145971 by al-rawandi on March 18, 2008 at 12:22 pm

People who have regular sex are more happy... Can we prove that?

Then you have to be an ignorant Christian, Drunk, Stoner, Whore. Then, bliss.

Other Comments by al-rawandi

10. Comment #145975 by Steve Zara on March 18, 2008 at 12:34 pm

Comment #145961 by al-rawandi

Intelligence is generally linked to greater pessimism. Greater intelligence is also linked to diminished belief in religion.

Absolutely.

Also, religion may not be so good for your happiness if you are one of those oppressed by it. A family who can't stop having children because of religious opinions on birth control. A gay person who has to keep their life hidden.

Other Comments by Steve Zara

11. Comment #145976 by shemp333 on March 18, 2008 at 12:37 pm

Ignorance is Bliss!!!

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12. Comment #145982 by MrPickwick on March 18, 2008 at 12:52 pm

"It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, are of a different opinion, it is because they only know their own side of the question. The other party to the comparison knows both sides."

John Stuart Mill

(MrPickwick is getting tired. This is so easy...)

Other Comments by MrPickwick

13. Comment #145986 by rodviking on March 18, 2008 at 12:54 pm

The fact that a believer is happier than a sceptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one.
- Bernard Shaw

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14. Comment #145987 by Richard Feldmann on March 18, 2008 at 12:58 pm

I, personally, feel more content now that I've freed myself from the guilt-crafted shackles of belief in the supernatural. I was constantly emotionally charged believing that I was doing something wrong, aka sinful.

I am much more at peace now as a atheist/secularist/humanist. I suppose you could say that I'm happier now.

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15. Comment #146000 by JemyM on March 18, 2008 at 1:13 pm

Christianity made me really unhappy. The idea of sin and Gods punishment made me live a life in almost constant depression because I blamed myself for pretty much everything that happened in my life (believing that my sexuality thanks to puberty had a strong impact on bad things going on in my life and in my family). I spent most of my teenage years wanting to die so I could go to heaven instead. The belief in heaven makes life hollow and meaningless. Going through puberty as a Christian was pure hell.

Getting rid of Christianity lifted a huge boulder of my shoulders, which had a strong positive impact on my life. The greatest positive impact was that I learned that prayer did nothing to improve my situation, only my own personal effort did. My best time is now.

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16. Comment #146011 by ivellios on March 18, 2008 at 1:25 pm

If ignorance is bliss, then wipe the smile off my face.

I agree, deluded people are more happy. Mainly, because they are too stupid to know they are being crapped on.

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17. Comment #146027 by hurrican on March 18, 2008 at 1:47 pm

what was the quote?

better an unhappy Socrates then a happy pig.

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18. Comment #146031 by AtheistAspy on March 18, 2008 at 1:50 pm

We need to make atheism emotionally palatable to the average person rather than focusing purely on intellectual matters.

I don't know why this article is news. We've known for quite a while that religion is correlated with happiness.

Other Comments by AtheistAspy

19. Comment #146036 by Tyler Durden on March 18, 2008 at 1:56 pm

Wow. What a hackneyed piece of dross!

A belief in God could lead to a more contented life, research suggests.

So, it could lead to a more contented life, then again, maybe it couldn't. Oh, and alcohol is bad for your liver. Film at 11 :-)

And research suggests this. It only suggests it? Doesn't claim or assert? Or prove. Or even affirm. Strange.

"These findings are consistent with other studies which suggest that religion does have a positive effect, although there are other views which say that religion can lead to self-doubt, and failure, and thereby have a negative effect."

So what you're saying is that you don't actually know, and it could be either. Well, thanks for clearing that one up for us.

Their findings, they said, suggested that religion could offer a "buffer" which protected from life's disappointments.

Isn't delusion just wonderful? Yes, and I'm sure the ostrich with his head in the sand is just feeling dandy up until the point where he gets shot in the ass or run over by a 4x4 out on safari.

"A large part of it is due to the meaning, purpose and value which believing in God gives you, whereas not believing in God can leave you without those things." Justin Thacker, head of Theology for the Evangelical Alliance

Wow, guess I'll just end it all now. What's the point? I've no "meaning, purpose and value" left in my life. Boo hoo. Where's the nearest cliff?

And all because I don't believe in ~~Santa Claus~~ god. Sure, that following Christmas sure was tough knowing there was no Santa but I got over it, and it gave me a purpose - to tell everyone else there was no Santa, esp my younger siblings :-)

Living in the real world sure can be tough sometimes, I guess these clowns would rather avoid all that and live with their head in the clouds or up their own ass!

"The gods offer no rewards for intellect. There was never one yet that showed any interest in it." Mark Twain

Other Comments by Tyler Durden

20. Comment #146038 by Epinephrine on March 18, 2008 at 2:01 pm

I don't know why this article is news. We've known for quite a while that religion is correlated with happiness.

I'm curious as to "how much" happier.

I remember something about the correlation of IQ with height. It turned out that if one was 4 feet taller it would account for about one standard deviation of difference.

I rather suspect that there are other factors which covary with religion that are more explanatory.

Other Comments by Epinephrine

21. Comment #146044 by scottishgeologist on March 18, 2008 at 2:07 pm

Some happy smiling faces from David Robertsons denomination here:

http://faculty.evansville.edu/jm224/Second Disruption.htm

I love thi sline:

"One of the first Free Presbyterians, Neil Cameron, for example, referred to the men responsible for making `the absolute infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible, as being the Word of God...become a thing of the past' as `traitors to God and men', while referring to the changes which were taking place in the Free Church as `this flood which Satan was casting out of his mouth in order to carry her (the Free Church) away completely"

Note: When it comes to infighting, bickering and general back stabbing, you simply cannot beat a presbyterian church. And in the Scottish variety, these traits reach their zenith.

:-))
SG

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22. Comment #146045 by EnlightenedBlasphemy on March 18, 2008 at 2:09 pm

I will put forward an idea for why religious people cope better.

Prayer, yeah i said it! Prayer for many christians who get the happy-coping goodness, involves getting into position to pray and then performing a sort of meditation. They often hold to the idea that before you pester god with requests, you should thank him for the good stuff you already have. so first they track through a decent list of things that they are happy about, or that make them feel good. Then they move on to ponder the things that are making them unhappy, and then they think about what to do about these unhappy things.
They then thank god a little more for the good stuff (he's quick to anger if you don't grovel correctly)then sign off of the god channel with the /amen command. then they stand up, and after having spent a bit praying/meditating they go have some juice.

I could be wrong on this, but having spent a lot of time (most of my life to date) among christians I've heard a lot of prayers, and said my fair share too. Any ex christians want to back me up on this...or shoot me down entirely. Im open to either.

I suggest an experiment.

1) Sit down, on something comfy, or kneel. (not in supplication but because its a good way to keep your back straight and its good for posture)

2) Think about all the stuff that you are happy about, this may take some doing but it can be done

3) ponder the stuff thats making you unhappy, why its making you unhappy, and what you might do about it. (simply not letting it bug you is a good start for most stuff)

4) touch back on the good stuff again, make sure you hit any really interesting bits again

5) Juice! (this bit is important, even better is eating a piece of fruit)

Give that a shot and see if maybe atheists can cope just as well, I think we can.

Anything a religious person can do (that's worth doing) we can do better!

and if you try this, you will at least end up with slightly better posture and perhaps a bit more fruit in your diet

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23. Comment #146048 by FightingFalcon on March 18, 2008 at 2:21 pm

The people in "The Matrix" were content as well.

The idea of Santa Claus makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside but that doesn't make it true....

I could keep going but I think everyone has pretty much taken care of this ridiculous drivel.

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24. Comment #146049 by Peter_on_Sax on March 18, 2008 at 2:23 pm

Sorry, but when I originally wrote the report, I didn't say "belief in God", I said "substance abuse could lead to a more contented life". Funny how editors change these things around.

Other Comments by Peter_on_Sax

25. Comment #146050 by Ian Bamlett on March 18, 2008 at 2:23 pm

I've only skimmed everyone posts so apologies if someone else has said this but what if the best description is that religion is manic depressive.

Yes, they may well be happier when the highs are good - but aren't they also so, so much more depressed when the low hits? I think as an atheist I just sit somewhere in the middle - with no illusory god pulling me one way or another because I think that god loves me when things are going well or has abandoned me when they are not. That kind of rollercoaster I can do without.

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26. Comment #146051 by abutler76 on March 18, 2008 at 2:23 pm

I find that many religious people I know are 'fake' happy. They are constantly forcing themselves to smile and act happy and love Jesus, even though you can see that they're miserable. I really wonder if this study accounts for 'fake' happy. Do all the religious people when surveyed say they are super happy and the non-religious people are more honest about how they actually feel?

My first post! I've been reading for awhile, I absolutely love the articles and comments here. I feel right at home!

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27. Comment #146054 by Ian Bamlett on March 18, 2008 at 2:31 pm

Comment #146051 by abutler76

My first post! I've been reading for awhile, I absolutely love the articles and comments here. I feel right at home!

Welcome! Nothing wrong with lurking - I don't post as often as I'd like but I'm always here reading. I think what I like most is that we are such a mixed bunch who really only agree fully on one thing!

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28. Comment #146062 by Fedler on March 18, 2008 at 2:52 pm

Of course religion makes people happy. When was that ever in dispute? It's the factual basis for religious belief that is nonexistent. So you can be happy and deluded, or happy and non-deluded. I know what I pick.

Other Comments by Fedler

29. Comment #146063 by epeeist on March 18, 2008 at 2:53 pm

People might want to read this as well:

http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2005/2005-11.html

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30. Comment #146065 by Slyer on March 18, 2008 at 3:00 pm

This goes against what I've experienced, most of the Atheists I know are all laid back and happy people, it's the Christians that are more likely to be worriers and always upset about something.
Ignorance can be bliss and some people are very adept at making sure they know as little as possible about certain subjects.
I don't think I could ever force myself to stay ignorant or wish I was still ignorant after learning.

I have to agree with the people that compare delusions like god belief to drugs.
People sometimes give up their drugs or whatever habit when they become more religious because they have addictive personalities, they just swap from one thing to the other.
"I was fucked up on drugs but now I'm fucked up on Jesus!"
Christianity is a happy drug that swaps physical side effects for mental ones. You gain blissful ignorance but lose logic and reason.
Myself I'm at peace with the universe and don't need a drug or god to make me happy.

And yes, they need to do a study that compares happiness of children between those that believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and those that do not. Not at all saying that happiness can be measured, you couldn't rely on the subject giving a proper testimony.
As Sam Harris says, happiness is the absence of things that make you unhappy moreso than the possession of things that make you happy.
http://www.bigthink.com/love-happiness/6508

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31. Comment #146068 by Vadjong on March 18, 2008 at 3:04 pm

Good point, Fedler.
I guess you and I were not among the 'thousands of Europeans'.
As with all these kinds of studies, it's soooo easy to do one that will say the exact opposite and than have the media do their usual distortion.

Other Comments by Vadjong

32. Comment #146069 by Wosret on March 18, 2008 at 3:04 pm

What? Religious people don't care as much about their lifes, the world, and other people as non-religious people? What a shocker. I'm confident that a state of apathy is happier than a state of empathy.

Though I am confident that the empathetic is responsible for more happiness in the people around them, and the world as a whole than the apathetic.

Realizing there is a problem is the first step toward fixing it, being content with things because this life doesn't matter and is a weighting room for the next only helps oneself.

Personally I couldn't stop worrying about the problems in the world, being devistated when a relationship doesn't workout, or I lose a job. It in fact seems quite far off from being a virtue to not be effected by such things to me.

I am perfectly willing to accept that the religious are happier than I am...but just what is the cost of that happiness?

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33. Comment #146070 by Aaron on March 18, 2008 at 3:09 pm

Religious believers are like children around a fire on a cold evening. They lean in to benefit from its warmth. They stare at the flame, wonder at the power and elegance and begin to contemplate eternity. We atheists and skeptics are the unforunate parents who must tend the fire and keep it from spreading. Maybe believers are more content than we atheists because while they are benefitting from the fire we are trying to keep the entire world from burning.

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34. Comment #146084 by pdiff on March 18, 2008 at 3:39 pm

Epinephrine asked above "how much happier?" Good question. Thought I'd take a look and here are some thoughts. BTW: the paper can be found at:

http://www.ugr.es/~teoriahe/RePEc/gra/paoner/per06_03.pdf

My interpretation of the results may be off, but I am pretty confident here. They are running logistic regressions on survey data. This results in regression coefficients (see Table 4, for example). Positive coefficients reflect increased life satisfaction (as measured by the survey) and negative ones indicate decreased satisfaction. The "religiosity" coefficient is .179 and evidently significant. First a word on significance. I don't care what you are looking at, but give me 29,000 observations and I can guarantee you a significant result :-) So I take their reporting of significance with a grain of salt. As for the coefficient itself, if we take the exponential of it, exp(0.179), we get 1.19. This is the odds ratio for the effect of religiosity. In other words it is a comparison of the odds of be satisfied for religious versus not religious (based on the respective probabilities). An odds ratio of 1.0 would indicate no difference. You can see here that 1.2 isn't much of a change from 1.0 (although their huge sample size makes this significant). As a comparison, in table 4 the coefficient for the effect of being unemployed is -0.734 (odds ratio = .48). A much bigger effect. You are half as likely to be satisfied if you are unemployed and more than double the relative change due to religiosity. Or how about bad health: Coefficient = -1.384, odds ratio = .25. Unsurprisingly, that's a massive hit on "life satisfaction". Perhaps the best comparison is "Highest Income Quartile": coefficient = .578, Odds ratio = 1.78, a more than four times increase in satisfaction odds over religion. And who said money can't buy happiness? :-) Bottom line: Small increase due to religion, significance likely due to large sample sizes.

Pdiff

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35. Comment #146096 by D'Arcy on March 18, 2008 at 3:49 pm

From the article:

The precise contribution of religion to mental health remains controversial, although there is other evidence that it does directly improve happiness, said Professor Leslie Francis, from the University of Warwick.

He said that the benefit might stem from the increased "purpose of life" felt by believers.

Probably I too would feel happier if I thought that I'm not really going to die because my "soul" will live on in paradise. However in the meantime, the intellectual pleasure I get from not being a believer, is worth more than an after life.

I seem to remember a study a few years ago that showed that on average non-believers lived longer than believers. The believers were obviously more willing to hear the "call of God" than non-believers.

Isn't it funny how the religios will seize on any "scientific" evidence that appears to give their view credence, but will happily ignore that which doesn't.

I just can't wait for Judgment Day!

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36. Comment #146099 by righton on March 18, 2008 at 3:51 pm

Irrelevent!

I remember Steve Z making the point sometime ago, and sorry if someone already mentioned this above, that an atheist living in a community of religious people would tend to be less happy because they would not fit in. I wonder if this was taken into consideration, doubt it.

This kind of study seems to show up every few months. For me, knowing the truth makes me happy.

This reminds me of those people that would not want to know if their spouse cheated on them because they would rather be ignorant to it and stay "happy".

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37. Comment #146100 by Alkal on March 18, 2008 at 3:51 pm

..which explains why the more religious are such kill joys, do not eat this, do not watch that..they are afraid of being too happy.

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38. Comment #146104 by Goldy on March 18, 2008 at 4:01 pm

I guess religion made these people happy too :-)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/world/middleeast/04youth.html?ref=world
Oddly, none of the Iranians I knew were totally happy with religion either. The Wee Frees were in the news recently about happiness in their brand of religion.
Here's ta thing about sharia - how muslims flock to it now in their pursuit of happiness...http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/16/magazine/16Shariah-t.html?pagewanted=1&ref=asia
(Yes, I am reading the NY Times during my lunch break).
Of course, religion may make people happy - they hear the voices in their heads as a comfort whereas the more rationally minded will worry about it. And if other religions seem distastefull, well, that's not their religion, is it (always said rather smugly) - their religion is happiness and fluffy.
Yep - religion makes you happy - well, how else can you stone someone with a clear conscience? Condemn someone to a lifetime of celibacy becasue of their sexuality and not feel a glimmer of remorse? To know someone will burn in hell, a place more horrible than anyone can ever imagine, and feel joy at the love of their god?
It's all bollocks. Religion makes you happy? Tell that to the late Ayatallah Khomeini - he was one happy sod...

Other Comments by Goldy

39. Comment #146111 by Partisan on March 18, 2008 at 4:06 pm

This reminds me of a quote I read in my early teens and has stuck with me to this day:

"The fact that a believer is happier than a sceptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one." - Bernard Shaw

Other Comments by Partisan

40. Comment #146124 by Nails on March 18, 2008 at 4:31 pm

Personally, I am much happier as an atheist than I ever was as a Christian.

but on a side note, I wonder if Sweden has a higher suicide rate than anywhere else in the world?

Reading this article suggests it should be like living in a concentration camp compared to the Disneyland of the rightous.

Other Comments by Nails

41. Comment #146132 by Dinah on March 18, 2008 at 4:45 pm

In my experience, religion is far more likely to screw people up than make them happy. Happy people who turn out to be happy because they have dedicated their lives to a delusion should be pitied or despised rather than envied.

Other Comments by Dinah

42. Comment #146133 by phasmagigas on March 18, 2008 at 4:45 pm

its likely to do with being part of a large community all slapping each others backs.

It could also be a case of ignorance is bliss, I looked at the new 'non fiction' section of our library today and just about every book was religion, pseudoscience (one on atlantis and alien DNA manipulation stood out! FUCKING BULLSHIT, in the non fiction!!!)or those lifestyle books, there wasnt a single book there useful to myself (actually there was a couple on cooking so thats OK), so i felt a bit pissed off, whereas a believer in bullshit of any variety would have found it wonderful!!

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43. Comment #146179 by Ed-words on March 18, 2008 at 5:57 pm

Who are the subjects of these studies and how is

"happiness" measured? The spokesmen for the

religious right don't seem very happy to me.

Let the researchers go to award-winning,

secular Norway, and see if its people are

sulking around all day!

Other Comments by Ed-words

44. Comment #146190 by Wrought on March 18, 2008 at 6:12 pm

They're wrong, we're right. So why do these articles still annoy me sooooo much? :/

I remember the day my agnosticism became outright atheism. There was no dramatic event, just my reasoning finally reaching a conclusion. Something just hit home. That day, it felt like the world changed colour. I felt depressed, but I realised I was seeing everything exactly as it was for the first time. Then I suddenly relaxed. I quit my job, I stopped biting my nails, I stopped smoking, I moved home, I went on holiday and I started to live. I've never been happier, more focused or more certain.

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45. Comment #146207 by dragonfirematrix on March 18, 2008 at 6:59 pm

A guess the religious are saying a theocracy would make us all be so bubbly happy we would not be able to contain our expressions of joy.

Then again...

I wonder just how happy people, oppressed by religion, really are? Not only this, but if the religious are so happy, why do they hate so much stuff and why do they fuss so much about what other people privately do?

Happiness is no religion at all.

Other Comments by dragonfirematrix

46. Comment #146209 by AtheistAspy on March 18, 2008 at 7:00 pm

Honestly, I think the religious can always come up with a more palatable world view, but that's precisely because religion is based on fantasy.

Also, I'm noticing a lot of posters are making arguments from personal incredulity (e.g., "in my experience...").

But most importantly, if you want to limit religion's influence, then you MUST emphasize the emotional benefits of a secular world view.

Yeah, happiness has nothing to do with whether religion is true, but I think a lot of theists know that and don't care.

Intellectual arguments alone will not change most people's religious views. As crass as it sounds, you'll have to appeal to their feelings.

Other Comments by AtheistAspy

47. Comment #146210 by notsobad on March 18, 2008 at 7:02 pm

In other news, Religion 'linked to claiming happy life.'
Just because you are realistic, it doesn't mean you are miserable. It just means you don't have a big fake smile on your face when something shitty happens.
Frustration leads to improvement, acceptance to stagnation.

And the funny thing is that this study implies that non-religious people are actually more emotional than religious. That's quite the opposite to 'you have no emotions,' isn't it.

Other Comments by notsobad

48. Comment #146219 by Gordy on March 18, 2008 at 7:34 pm

Nothing new here. There are plenty of possible explanations for it, but it doesn't even suggest that religions might be true. If they could show that one religion in particular made people happier than all the others, then they might be onto something... ;)

Other Comments by Gordy

49. Comment #146226 by notsobad on March 18, 2008 at 7:41 pm

Gordy,
I expect fundamentalists and members of the most ridiculous sects to claim the largest amounts of happiness.

Other Comments by notsobad

50. Comment #146238 by the_ultimate_samurai on March 18, 2008 at 7:56 pm

most telling i think is this part about religious people being more able to deal with shock such as loss of a job, wife, or loved one...that kinda interests me. it makes me wonder if they ARE dealing with it at ALL, what those horrible atheist psychologists would call "repression" which would then lead of course to the natural conclusion that religion is unhealthy. if indeed they deal with shocks easier, id like a study to see if they DO deal with them or if they repress it.
i would suspect from much of the unhealthy behaviour of the religious, and from other evidence of repression being caused by religious doctrine, that in fact it is repression.

(one known form of repression for instance is sexual repression, this is esspecialy true with the catholics and is one reason for the sexual issues of some catholic priests. they never deal with their sexuality they depend on their god, they repress it, the result of course is that it affects them without their knowing it. if you see areas which are higher in religion teen pregnancy, abortion rates, violence and such tend to be higher, and part of that is the represion that religion does, they put dealing with their issues in GOD and as such never deal with them, they get pushed into the subconscious and affect their actions without their knowing it. the only effect of repression is an amplification of that which you have repressed, it seems like its helping you now, but it will hurt you in the long run)

this entire article just disturbed me...when i clicked i was thinking something witty like "article summery: 'ignorance is bliss'" but reading realy kinda just showed the repressive and psychologically unhealthy effects of religion.

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