Religious people more likely to be happy

[Sash]

The more religious you are the happier you are likely to be according to new research.

A study of the effect of religion on quality of life claims that religious people are happier the more often they go to church and pray.

The research, presented to the Royal Economic Society, gathered data from thousands across Europe including the UK and found that religious people have better “life satisfaction” than their non-religious counterparts.

But the author of the study, Professor Andrew Clark, admitted that other factors could be at work. He said benefits of a religious upbringing unrelated to belief such as a stable family home, could have influenced the outcome.

The report found that religious people suffer less psychologically if they become unemployed. But believers are lazier when it comes to looking for work when they are out of a job, say researchers Professor Clark and Dr Orsolya Lelkes.

Other traumas, such as divorce, have less of an impact on the state of mind of believers according to researchers, who say that religion acts as a type of “insurance” against personal disaster.

This is not the first study showing a positive correlation between religious belief and perceived quality of life, but this one began as an investigation into why there were different levels of unemployment benefits across Europe.

Professor Clark said: "We originally started the research to work out why some European countries had more generous unemployment benefits than others, but our analysis suggested that religious people suffered less psychological harm from unemployment than the non-religious.

"They had higher levels of life satisfaction".

Terry Sanderson, director of the National Secular Society, dismissed the findings. “Non-believers can’t just turn on a faith in order to be happy,” he said. “If you find religious claims incredible, then you won’t believe them, whatever the supposed rewards in terms of personal fulfilment.”


Religious people more likely to be happy -Times Online

Probably is true, and if religion makes them happy then good for them

[Ixpah]

Its just as likely that deluded or people with low IQ are more happy, but would you really want to be one?

[Arez]

yep does sound very true and with my experiences of people at church they are sooooooo fkin happy, i mean they aint never sad really, but i do think there are a few reasons behind that...wont go into them but saying they all got low IQ is a bit harsh....if u remember einstein was highly religious and he has about an IQ of 180, also many of worlds most "wise" people thru the ages philosophers and what not had a belief in god.....their own god that they knew exisited but didnt know to what extent....still thou a god.

[Evilkitten]

Ned Flauders anyone???

This sounds very likely, through religion people learn to let go a lot easier because they usually feel that everything is for the best and for a reason.

[Allanon]

Ignorance is bliss.

[teflon]

Originally Posted by Arez

....if u remember einstein was highly religious and he has about an IQ of 180

Of course Einstein wasn't religious. Not all Jews are actually practicing, for most of them nowadays it's a description of race rather than religion. Please don't try and come back with the 'God doesn't play dice' n00bs line, because anyone who takes that at face value has obviously never read much about Einstein.

Back on-topic, I agree with Ixpah's allusion, whether he meant it or not, that stupid people are happier and so QED religious people will be.
Stick your fingers in your ears and go 'Lalalalala, a big brown ghost thing in the sky loves me even though I am a small-minded humourless square', block out all reality which contradicts that delusion and convince yourself over years and one day, maybe we can become as 'happy' as that. God willing.

[Ixpah]

Originally Posted by teflon

Back on-topic, I agree with Ixpah's allusion, whether he meant it or not, that stupid people are happier and so QED religious people will be.

I do think that religious people are deluded, and yes I was sort of implying that without putting it bluntly. The report fails to take into account all the factors, even the author says as much.

But the author of the study, Professor Andrew Clark, admitted that other factors could be at work. He said benefits of a religious upbringing unrelated to belief such as a stable family home, could have influenced the outcome.

I wonder what % of low IQ people are religious in comparison to people with a high IQ? Can you see a report entitled "Religious people are more likely to be educationally sub-normal"? It would cause a HUGE out cry, even if it was factually 100% correct.

[-Honchy-]

Originally Posted by Allanon

Ignorance is bliss.

glad someone said it.

[Tagred]

Originally Posted by Arez

yep does sound very true and with my experiences of people at church they are sooooooo fkin happy, i mean they aint never sad really, but i do think there are a few reasons behind that...wont go into them but saying they all got low IQ is a bit harsh....if u remember einstein was highly religious and he has about an IQ of 180, also many of worlds most "wise" people thru the ages philosophers and what not had a belief in god.....their own god that they knew exisited but didnt know to what extent....still thou a god.

Einstein was in no way religious, he was an out and out atheist. His quotes are often taken out of context and used by the religious as proaganda.

And therein proves a point, that religion is made to control people and to keep them subdued and not to question, ao that they are happy with their lot whatever that maybe. I'm sure that they are happy, it gives them a sort of emotional blanket which leads them to believe that god will sort it for them, hence more propensity for being lazy because they think a big ehtereal non-entity will sort it for them.

Happy or not why is it worth living in delusion, much better to be able to think.

[Tagred]

Originally Posted by Ixpah

I do think that religious people are deluded, and yes I was sort of implying that without putting it bluntly. The report fails to take into account all the factors, even the author says as much.

I do. they are deluded because they cant accept that humans are animals and subject to the same laws as everything else in the universe. The Earth is not 6,000 yrs old and we did not walk with dinosaurs. Evolution is a fact.

I wonder what % of low IQ people are religious in comparison to people with a high IQ? Can you see a report entitled "Religious people are more likely to be educationally sub-normal"? It would cause a HUGE out cry, even if it was factually 100% correct.

Would be an interesting study. Another interesting snippet of information. Religion often teaches (in america anyway) that if you arent religious then you are by default a wicked person, and have no morals and are generally more evil. While over 90% of americans believe in god it seems a little ironic that over 75% of the total population of its prison system is religious. So much for religion being moral and teaching virtues, huh.

[Mankind]

Ignorance is bliss but I don't think it's as simple as that, actually believing in a god might make you happier in itself.

I would still rather not though even if it means I'm less happy.