tagged w/ Ned Flanders
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Researchers accidentally discovered that people with religious beliefs tend to be more content in life.While not the original objective, the recent European study found that religious people are better able to cope with shocks such as losing a loved one or getting laid off of a job.
The European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, analyzed a variety of factors among Catholic and Protestant Christians and found that life satisfaction seems to be higher among the religious population. The authors concluded that religion in general, might act as a "buffer" that protects people from life's disappointments.
Data from thousands of European households revealed higher levels of "life satisfaction" in believers. The benefit might involve the increased "purpose of life" experienced by many believers that may not be as strongly felt among nonbelievers.
The researchers say they found that the religious crowd tended to experience more “current day rewards”, rather than storing them up for the future. Previous studies have also found strong correlations between religion and happiness.
The believer might find satisfaction in the scientific documentation of how human nature predisposes people to believe in God because it could reinforce the idea that people were divinely designed to know and believe in God.
The idea that religion may offer substantial psychological benefits in life, is in sharp contrast with another common viewpoint that religion is repressive and has a negative influence on human development.Researchers accidentally discovered that people with religious beliefs tend to be more... more
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