HAVE FAITH AND LIVE LONGER

I like to keep myself up-to-date on the latest research around the causes of happiness in us Human Beings, and this lastest study leaped out at me as being pretty significant. I wanted to share this article with you because it links directly to many of the topics I talk about in my coaching tips. It suggests that not only do they improve your experience in the Now, but they could also help you live a longer, healthier life too.

Now, for those of you who follow my work, you'll know that the subjects I coach on are primarily religion-free in their content, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the value that religion plays in many peoples lives. I might talk about the importance having a deep connection to your 'inner knowing' or moral compass, where as you might describe your connection to your God or a spiritual guidance. Whatever words we use to describe the same thing, the effect that these metaphors have on the way we experience our lives and the world around us are the same, and according this research, that is pretty good for our wellbeing.

These finding were presented by Michael E. McCullough, a University of Miami researcher who has been studying the relationship between religion and health for more than a decade.

Article:

His conclusions are fueling the debate over the impact of religion on
personal well-being.

"It's kind of hard to find a downside to religion," says
McCullough, a psychology professor and one of the top researchers in the
field.

In a small lab on UM's Coral Gables campus, McCullough, 39, has
conducted experiments with hundreds of people of many backgrounds, testing their
ability to delay gratification, forgive and be thankful, and correlating those
findings with health factors from drug use to depression. All the while, he has
asked, "Do you believe in God? How much?"

McCullough's research suggests that religious people of all faiths, by
sizable margins, do better in school, live longer, have more satisfying
marriages and are generally happier than their nonbelieving peers.

He has published more than a dozen studies on the subject, including a
recent article in Psychological Bulletin suggesting that if you want to quit
smoking, you may want to get religious about it. In the Journal of Drug Issues,
he reported that in neighborhoods plagued by alcoholism, church attendance helps
more than Alcoholics Anonymous.

"Religious people tend to have good self-control," says McCullough,
citing what he considers the biggest reason for their higher scores on health
and prosperity indicators.

David Niose, president of the American Humanist Association in
Washington, D.C., doesn't dispute such findings, but doesn't find them
persuasive.

"The secular outlook is just as capable of bringing one inner peace,
stability and happiness as any religious view," says Niose, whose group includes
atheists and promotes the view that nonbelievers should live ethically for the
greater human good.

McCullough acknowledges that religion is just part of the picture, and
a relatively small one at that. He says factors such as race, class and age
undoubtedly play larger roles in determining life outcomes.