Research analyzed from a European dating site revealed that people who are religious tend to feel better about themselves, have higher self-confidence and be better adjusted psychologically than nonbelievers. However, researchers contend that the religious climate of the place people live might be the key to receiving these psychological benefits.
The researchers used responses from 187,957 participants in 11 different countries from the dating site eDarling for the study. The countries ranged from Sweden, the least religious country in the world, to Poland, which is populated with devout Catholics.
Other studies had confirmed that religious people were better adjusted psychologically and had higher self-esteem, but the researchers “suspected that the reason for this was that religious people are better in living up to their societal values in religious societies, which in turn should lead to higher social self-esteem and better psychological adjustment.”
The results revealed that, on average, “believers only got the psychological benefits of being religious if they lived in a country that values religiosity. In countries where most people aren’t religious, religious people didn’t have higher self-esteem.”
Notes researcher Jochen Gebauer, “We think you only pat yourself on the back for being religious if you live in a social system that values religiosity.”
Source: Association for Psychological Science
Heather Rudow is a staff writer for Counseling Today. Email her at hrudow@counseling.org.
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