Studies indicate that practicing religious people on average are happier than nonbelievers or nonpracticing religious people, and that the relevant variable is the church attendance. That’s what motivated me to create this thread. More than having any particular set of positive beliefs, participating in a community that encourages prosocial behavior seems to account for the lifestyle difference; not particularly surprising when you look at the impact church attendance has on you despite the fact that you don’t believe.
I would not be surprised if the reason for this was that people with unusually bad lives often lose faith in god as well. Based on a tiny sample space of currently and formerly religious people I know, there seems to be a fairly even divide between people who become more fanatical to cope with their problems and people who give up and look for other supports.
Studies indicate that practicing religious people on average are happier than nonbelievers or nonpracticing religious people, and that the relevant variable is the church attendance. That’s what motivated me to create this thread. More than having any particular set of positive beliefs, participating in a community that encourages prosocial behavior seems to account for the lifestyle difference; not particularly surprising when you look at the impact church attendance has on you despite the fact that you don’t believe.
I would not be surprised if the reason for this was that people with unusually bad lives often lose faith in god as well. Based on a tiny sample space of currently and formerly religious people I know, there seems to be a fairly even divide between people who become more fanatical to cope with their problems and people who give up and look for other supports.