Today we return to talk about spirituality and faith. A theme that for many is uninteresting, but for others awakens within them a desire to take a pause to reconnect with God or with Something Greater, through a moment of prayer or meditation.
Sometimes we cite the term “religiosity” linked to the term “spirituality,” but it is worth noting that they are not synonyms. Spirituality is related to the personal search for understandable answers to existential questions about life, its meaning, and the relationship with the sacred or transcendent, while religiosity refers to a personal relationship with God, but grounded in the rituals of a religion, in following a specific doctrine shared with a group. In other words, spirituality is not tied to religion, but to religious questions independent of institution. However, spirituality does not deny religiosity and vice versa (1,2).
In our Blog, we have made several mentions of this theme. In the post titled “The state of being and feeling good,” we commented on the importance of cultivating the spiritual dimension. When we talked about pleasure, in “Dialogue on happiness – part 2 – brushing on the neuroscience of pleasure,” we noted that, in the evolutionary chain, only humans enjoy transcendental pleasures (3,4). In “Science beyond pure science,” we emphasized that professionals who adhere to integrative and complementary practices need to cultivate spirituality and we also showed that spirituality is positively related to mental well-being and negatively related to neuroticism (5).
The relationship between spirituality and well-being/happiness is already a scientific consensus, as there are numerous studies and reviews showing this positive association, with the earliest evidence dating back to the late 20th century, the 1980s (6,7). The publications on this topic are countless and, therefore, it becomes impossible to summarize them in a small text.
This relationship has already been proven for adults, adolescents, and even children. A recent publication from the Journal of Happiness Studies, about a Canadian study involving 320 children aged 8 to 12 years, proved that more spiritual children are happier (8).
In addition to the happiness proven for the spiritual, there is also evidence in favor of the religious. A systematic literature review published by Brazilian psychiatrists and researchers in 2007 showed that religiosity is among the variables that are strongly associated with happiness (9).
However, there is a paradox: despite religion contributing to happiness, many people abandon it. Why does this happen?
Ed Diener, a prominent researcher in the field of Positive Psychology, released a recent publication on this paradox, compiling data collected from two large studies: the first involving more than 350,000 inhabitants of the United States and the second involving more than 450,000 people, representatives of 154 nations. In this publication, he states that subjective well-being is strongly associated with religiosity, with this relationship mediated by the moral support, respect, purpose, and meaning of life that religiosity attributes to the individual. However, he identified that this relationship is very linked to social circumstances. In states and nations where living conditions are more difficult, people are more likely to be more religious, and religion provides them with social support, respect, meaning for life, and favors subjective well-being. In societies with more favorable social circumstances, religiosity is less prevalent, and both religious and non-religious people experience similar levels of subjective well-being, with non-religious individuals even showing higher life satisfaction rates (10). Diener shows us that the individual's adaptation to culture is so intense that the social benefits of religion depend on the characteristics of society.
The publication mentioned above does not fully answer the question posed earlier, but it clarifies part of it. It is worth noting that it is a study related to religiosity, and not to spirituality in its broader sense.
Even though these solid results presented by Diener make us question the real importance of religion for well-being, those who practice it, regardless of their social conditions, certainly have their own reasons for doing so and probably find in it another reason for life.
Because those who believe that we are not alone feel peace, comfort, relief, and happiness when connecting with this supreme force.
"The most powerful force in the universe? Faith."
(Mother Teresa of Calcutta)
Vânia Hercilia Talarico Bruno is a Pharmaceutical-Biochemist, with a focus in Food and Nutrition from UNESP and a postgraduate degree in Industrial Administration from Fundação Vanzolini - USP. A massage therapist trained by the Amor School (Association of Oriental Massage) and mother of Gabriel (3) and Guilherme (1.8). She currently dedicates herself to motherhood, studying philosophical themes, and providing services in Scientific Consulting.
Contact: vaniatal@yahoo.com.br
References:
CAMBOIM A., RIQUE J. Religiosity and spirituality of adolescents and young adults. Rev Bras H Relig, III, 251-263 p.,2010;
PANZINI, R.G. et al. Quality of life and spirituality. Rev. Psiq. Clín. 34, supl 1; 105-115, 2007;
BERRIDGE K.C., KRINGELBACH M.L. Building a neuroscience of pleasure and well-being. Psychol Well Being. October 24; 1(1): 1–3, 2011;
KRINGELBACH M.L., BERRIDGE K.C. Towards a functional neuroanatomy of pleasure and happiness. Trends Cogn Sci. Nov; 13(11):479-87, 2009;
JOHNSTONE B, YOON DP, COHEN D, SCHOPP LH, MCCORMACK G, CAMPBELL J, SMITH M. Relationships Among Spirituality, Religious Practices, Personality Factors, and Health for Five Different Faith Traditions. J Relig Health. 2012;
FEHRING RJ, BRENNAN PF, KELLER ML. Psychological and spiritual well-being in college students. Res Nurs Health. 1987 Dec;10(6):391-8
Clark F, Carlson M, Zemke R, Frank G, Patterson K, Ennevor BL, Rankin-Martinez A, Hobson LA, Crandall J, Mandel D, Lipson L. Life domains and adaptive strategies of a group of low-income, well older adults. Am J Occup Ther. 1996 Feb;50(2):99-108. Review.
HOLDER M D, COLEMAN B, WALLACE J. Spirituality, Religiousness, and Happiness in Children Aged 8-12 Years. J Happiness Stud (2010) 11:131 – 150
FERRAZ, R.B. et al. Happiness: a review. Rev. Psiq. Clín 34 (5); 234-242, 2007
