Do religious people live longer? that's an interesting question. Time reports, a study published in 2016 would seem to indicate that's the case. The survey found women who attended weekly religious service had a 33% lower chance of dying during a 16 year period following the survey than those who didn't attend church, synagogue, or mosque.

A  2018 study found attending regular services reduced the body's responses to stress, resulting in a 55% reduction in the likelihood of death during an 18 year follow up period. Professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside Howard Friedman said,  "The values drawn from religious tradition–such as respect, compassion, gratitude, charity, humility, harmony, meditation and preservation of health that seem to predict longevity."

Friedman's conclusions would seem to indicate the fellowship of gathering for a religious service is a greater factor than what is being ministered. I've spent most of my life as a not particularly religious person, and recently begun attending regular church services. This, after just a few weeks, has been my experience.

 

 

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