A prayer a day keeps the doctor away!
Also apples.
And probably bingo.
Hey everyone, Laci Green here for DNews.
Prayer is an aged ritual and a nearly universal human behavior.
Nearly 90% of Americans pray regularly and about 60% pray at least once a day.
From a psychological perspective, is this a positive thing?
Religions often convey God as a sort of parent figure - which is, amongst psychology researchers,
God is seen as the ultimate attachment figure.
It’s well established that our relationship with our parents can determine mental health
outcomes, and researchers are finding that the nature of a religious person’s relationship
with god may also determine mental health outcomes.
In a new study on prayer at Baylor University, people who had a positive attachment to god
(who believed he’d be there for them to comfort them and support them) showed fewer
symptoms of anxiety.
They had less irrational worry, stress, self-consciousness, and dread in social situations.
The researchers say god is seen as a form of emotional support that they can count on.
People who had an insecure attachment and weren’t sure whether or not god would be
there experienced more frequent symptoms of anxiety.
This builds on earlier research about prayer.
A study in the British Journal of Health and Psychology found that those who pray frequently
have fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety than the general population.
The researchers believe this is because prayer can be used as a form of stress relief - an
outlet for relieving fear, anger, and worry.
Critics fired back, however, claiming that studies have also found bingo contributes
to better mental health.
The National Secular Society argues that the key to deep relaxation isn’t the praying
itself, it’s having a community (like a church) that people can go to and feel a sense
of togetherness.
To make things even more interesting, when we look at prayer in a secular context, or
in the context of eastern religions, it’s actually quite a lot like meditation.
It’s a moment of quiet, a chant, a self-affirmation, or a plea.
It’s centering on a particular thought and seeking inner calm.
Unsurprisingly, studies on meditation, which I’ve talked about on DNews in the past,
also find the same effects - particularly the anxiety relief.
But in the meditation studies, the anxiety relief wasn’t contingent on how the person
felt about their deity.
So folks, what do you think about prayer?
Has it ever helped you out?
Tell me about it down below and I’ll see you next time on DNews!