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Live Longer
(A secular view)
Spirituality May Help People Live Longer
Why do older people who regularly attend religious services appear to
live longer and have better health? Is it something about the type of
people they are? Or is it something related to their visits to churches
or synagogues -- perhaps increased contact with other people?
A growing body of research is beginning to define the complex
connections between religious and spiritual beliefs and practices and an
individual's physical and psychological health. No one says it's as
simple as going to services or "finding religion" later in life. It may
be that people who are more involved in religious activities or are
personally more spiritual are doing something that makes them feel
better emotionally and helps them live longer and more healthily. The
question, researchers say, is what exactly are they doing?
"There is an increasing interest in the subject among researchers and
the public," says Susan H. McFadden, Ph.D., of the University of
Wisconsin at Oshkosh, who is co-chair of the Religion and Aging interest
group of the Gerontological Society on Aging (GSA), a national group of
researchers in aging.
Aging experts will discuss religion, spirituality and aging at the GSA
annual conference, which starts Nov. 19 in San Francisco. Sessions will
include a discussion of a new report -- from the National Institute on
Aging and the Fetzer Institute, a Michigan foundation interested in
mind/body issues -- that details research on the religious and spiritual
dimensions of health.
Go to Church, Live Longer
Among the most recent findings in this area: People who attend religious
services at least once a week are less likely to die in a given period
of time than people who attend services less often. These results --
published in the August 1999 issue of the Journal of Gerontology:
Medical Sciences -- came out of a study examining almost 4,000 North
Carolina residents aged 64 to 101.
People who attended religious services at least once a week were 46
percent less likely to die during the six-year study, says lead author
Harold G. Koenig, M.D., of Duke University Medical Center in Durham,
North Carolina. "When we controlled for such things as age, race, how
sick they were and other health and social factors, there was still a 28
percent reduction in mortality," he says.
Koenig, a psychiatrist, says that the regular churchgoers showed a
reduction in their mortality rate comparable to that of people who don't
smoke over those who do.
Spiritual, Healthy Habits
Other large studies have had similar results. Some smaller studies have
also shown that spirituality may be beneficial: People who attend
religious services, or who feel they are spiritual, experience lower
levels of depression and anxiety; display signs of better health, such
as lower blood pressure and fewer strokes; and say they generally feel
healthier.
Researchers, including Koenig, say there are limitations to the
conclusions anyone should draw from these studies. It could be that
people who attend religious services benefit from the social network
they form. "It might be that people in churches and synagogues watch out
for others, especially the elderly," encouraging them, for example, to
get help if they look sick, Koenig says.
Also, it's known that among today's older men and women, religious
belief often leads to less risky behavior, such as less alcohol
consumption and smoking. And religious beliefs -- or a strong feeling of
spirituality outside of traditional religions -- may improve an
individual's ability to cope with the stresses of everyday life and the
tribulations of aging, experts say.
Or it could be, McFadden says, that certain personality types cope
better with life -- and those are the types of people who also attend
services more regularly.
Probing Further
Future research might benefit from new survey questions that scientists
developed recently. In October, the National Institute on Aging and the
Fetzer Institute released a report on new measurement tests. With these
tests, researchers may be able to probe more deeply into the connections
between health and spirituality, says Ellen Idler, Ph.D., of Rutgers
University in New Jersey, who helped write part of the report.
For example, the new tests ask questions about daily spiritual
experiences, private religious practices and beliefs and values -- not
just about regular church attendance, as some earlier studies did.
"There are private behaviors, attitudes, public behaviors and
activities," Idler says of the aspects of an individual's spiritual
life. "It is a tremendous, multidimensional model."
Support for the Inner Self
Even people who don't describe themselves as religious probably can
benefit from some of the lessons uncovered by research into spirituality
and aging, says Harry R. Moody, Ph.D., a gerontologist and author of The
Five Stages of the Soul.
"The message isn't 'Go back to church and you'll live a long time,' but
stay connected with people on your own wavelength," says Moody, until
recently the director of the Brookdale Center on Aging at Hunter College
in New York City.
This could mean, for example, joining small prayer groups not associated
with any church, trying personal meditation, writing your life story,
searching inside for personal meaning in life as you age and face death,
remaining optimistic about life even if age and illness take their toll,
and forging social connections with family, friends and others.
"You have to discover what is your subjective way of coping with life
and tap into it," Moody says.
Living Better Features
Copyright 1999 WebMD. All rights reserved. =80 related documents
Theo's CommentsTruth is defined as that which describes the ultimate reality. Tragically and ironically one often doesn't understand life untill life is over. Blessed are they that open their hearts to God and find the real and lasting joy and peace and hope of the abundant life in God.
No mention of God, morality, or the Bible was made in the previous article. The worldly worship the creation rather than the Creator. This is why they do not find life. The paradox of life is that one finds it only by losing it (Matt.10:30).The moral standard of God's Word is the guide to life and life more abundant (John 10:10). Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long (on the earth)(Exodus 20:12).God gives peace that can be found in no other way (John14:27).
God opens the eyes of the believer to see the horses and chariots of fire that surround the faithful to protect them (IIKings 6:17).
Are you seeking God? Believe and repent and He will find you. Taste and know that the Lord is good. In Jesus Christ is found life eternal.
theo
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