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By Gavin Boyle
A new study revealed that attending church lowers rates of anxiety-inducing chemicals in our bodies, both relieving stress and increasing lifespans for those who are part of a congregation.
“Our findings support the overall hypothesis that increased religiosity (as determined by church attendance) is associated with less stress (as assessed by AL) and enhanced longevity,” the researchers concluded in a study published on PLOS ONE.
“It’s not just about health behaviors — something about religious involvement seems to provide protection against the cumulative effects of stress,” they added.
Previous studies found similar results, showing that a relationship with God has multiple positive effects in a person’s life that include lowered stress, stronger feelings of connecting, more satisfaction and a greater capacity to endure hardship.
A 2023 study, for example, revealed that Christians are less likely to experience “deaths of despair,” a term used to describe those who give up on life after experiencing a string of difficulties.
“While the term ‘deaths of despair’ was originally coined in the context of working class Americans struggling with unemployment, it is a phenomenon that is relevant more broadly, such as to the health care professionals in our study who may be struggling with excessive demands or burnout, or to anyone facing loss,” the researchers explained. “As such, we need to look for important community resources that can protect against it.”
Related: Church Participation Reduces ‘Deaths of Despair,’ Study Shows
All of this research points toward truths that Christians have felt for millennium and are heavily lauded in the Bible.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever…Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things,” says Psalm 107: 1, 8-9.
“Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you,” adds Psalm 63: 3-5.
Furthermore, many stories of heroes of the faith in the Bible speak to how a relationship with the Lord allows them to face crushing hardships, such as David’s long struggle with King Saul, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s persecution that caused them to be thrown into the fiery furnace and Jesus’s suffering and death on the cross.
While the Lord does not promise His followers an easy life — in fact, He warns of the opposite — He does promise peace and the ability to endure what comes our way, a hope that can carry us through the toughest of times; this leads to these positive health benefits that science has measured.
Read Next: New Study Finds That Regular Church Attendance Improves Mental Health
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