What are the most beneficial religious spiritual practices for your health?

Luke Newman

            Howard S. Friedman performed a study in which he examined both religious and non-religious Californians and examined how religion, religious practices, and depth of religiousness relate to a person’s health and life span.  It was determined, as we discussed previously in class, that religious people tend to live longer than those who are not religious.  At various portions throughout these people’s lives, they filled out a survey on Bible reading, worship, extent of religious involvement, etc.  Those who were very religious also tended to be the most social, especially women.  Friedman speculates that it is this feeling of inclusion and social support that explains why these religious women tend to live statistically longer than those who are not as religious.

Friedman, Ph.D., Howard S. "How Prayer Leads To Better Health and Longer Life." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 Mar. 2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howard-s-friedman-phd/where-exactly-is-the-heal_b_838603.html>.