London - Going to church can help keep depression at bay, research suggests.
Academics have found that people who join a religious community – whether a church, synagogue or mosque – have better mental health than those who join a community group or political party.
The four-year study monitored 9 000 people aged 50 and older from across Europe.
The British and Dutch team, whose research was published yesterday in the American Journal of Epidemiology, looked at different levels of social activity and how they influenced people’s moods.
They found that joining a religious organisation was the only activity associated with sustained happiness.
By contrast, those who joined political and community groups tended to show an initial improvement in mental health, but then declined over the long term, while people who did sports and other social activities did not report even short-term benefits.
The researchers, from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the Erasmus University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, said it is not clear if it is faith itself that helps people, or if practising religion simply provides a sense of belonging.
LSE health expert Dr Mauricio Avendano said: “The church appears to play a very important social role in keeping depression at bay and also as a coping mechanism during periods of illness in later life.”
Daily Mail