Go To Church, Live Longer

Could It Be Divine Intervention? Study Finds Significant Link Between Regular Churchgoing, Longevity

By Tony Cappasso, Contributing Writer
March 30, 2001, 9:52 a.m. EST

    Want to live longer? Try going to church regularly. That alone could boost your odds of living longer by 28 percent, according to researchers who published their findings in an issue of the American Journal of Gerontology.

    The correlation between churchgoing and longevity held even when the researchers accounted for other health factors, they reported.

    The study, supported by the National Institute on Aging, surveyed nearly 4,000 seniors age 64 and older to see if attending religious services had any bearing on living longer. It confirmed findings of a 28-year-long study of more than 5,000 people that found that the risk of earlier death was 23 percent lower among people who went frequently to church, synagogue, mosque or temple.

    In the latest research, the seniors were interviewed each year for up to six years to track death rates and links with health, social and religious factors. The scientists accounted for factors with an impact on health such as cigarette smoking, alcohol use and chronic ailments as well as age, gender and education. The researchers concluded there was a significant link between attending religious services frequently and living longer.

Hallelujah, Ladies!

    The link was strongest for women. After taking other factors into account, women had a 35 percent lower risk of death if they attended religious services regularly. For men, the likelihood of death dropped 17 percent.

    Why might attending religious services help add years to one's life? The scientists weren't sure, but they speculated that regular churchgoing might be related to lower rates of depression, anxiety and stress. A strong religious faith reinforced by active religious participation possibly helped older people cope with troubles in life, especially with health problems later in life. Lower rates of depression, combined with a stronger social support network, may translate into stronger immune systems and better defenses against disease, according to the researchers.

And those are just the explanations that are grounded in secular science: no word yet from the theologians.

    For more information on seniors and health, visit AgeNet on the Web at www.agenet.com.

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