Interested in learning more about religiosity, spirituality, and meaning in life? Click on each citation to read the abstract of each study.

Review Studies:

Bonelli, R., Dew, R. E., Koenig, H. G., Rosmarin, D. H., and Vasegh, S. (2012). Religious and spiritual factors in depression: review and integration of the research. Depression Research and Treatment 2012, 1-9. doi:10.1155/2012/962860

Haslam, A., Jetten, J., Postmes, T., and Haslam, C. (2009). Social identity, health, and wellbeing: an emerging agenda for applied psychology. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 58, 1-23. doi:10.1111/j.1464-0597.2008.00379.x

Candy, B., Jones, L., Varagunam, M., Speck, P., Tookman, A., and King, M. (2012). Spiritual and religious interventions for well-being of adults in the terminal phase of disease. Cochrane Database of System Reviews, Issue 5. Art. No.: CD007544. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007544.pub2

Koenig, H. G. (2012). Religion, spirituality, and health: The research and clinical implications. International Scholarly Research Network – Psychiatry 278730: 1-33. doi:10.5402/2012/278730

Visser, A., Garssen, B., and Vingerhoets, A. (2010). Spirituality and well-being in cancer patients: A review. Psycho-Oncology, 19(6), 565-572. doi:10.1002/pon.1626

Religiosity/Spirituality and Well-Being in the Workplace:

Benjamins, M. R. (2006). Does religion influence patient satisfaction? American Journal of Health Behavior, 30(1), 85-91.

Oman, D., Hedberg, J., and C. E. Thoreson. (2006). Passage meditation reduces perceived stress in health professionals: A randomized, controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(4), 714-719.

Religious/Spiritual Doubt and Well-Being:

Krause, N. (2006). Religious doubt and psychological well-being: A longitudinal investigation. Review of Religious Research, 47(3), 287-302.

Religiosity/Spirituality and Well-Being among Ill or Vulnerable Populations:

Bauer-Wu, S., and Farran, C. J. (2005). Meaning in life and psychospiritual functioning: a comparison of breast cancer survivors and healthy women. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 23(2), 172-190. doi:10.1177/0898010105275927

Bonelli, R., Dew, R. E., Koenig, H. G., Rosmarin, D. H., and Vasegh, S. (2012). Religious and spiritual factors in depression: review and integration of the research. Depression Research and Treatment 2012, 1-9. doi:10.1155/2012/962860

Jim, H. S., Andersen, B. L. (2007). Meaning in life mediates the relationship between social and physical functioning and distress in cancer survivors. British Journal of Health Psychology, 12(3), 363-381. doi:10.1348/135910706X128278

Candy, B., Jones, L., Varagunam, M., Speck, P., Tookman, A., and King, M. (2012). Spiritual and religious interventions for well-being of adults in the terminal phase of disease. Cochrane Database of System Reviews, Issue 5. Art. No.: CD007544. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007544.pub2

Kim, K.H. (2006). Religion, body satisfaction, and dieting. Appetite, 46(3), 285 – 296.

Kristeller, J. L., Rhodes, M., Cripe, L. D., and Sheets, V. (2005). Oncologist Assisted Spiritual Intervention Study (OASIS): Patient acceptability and initial evidence of effects. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 35(4), 329-347. doi:10.2190/8AE4-F01C-60MO-85CB

Moadel, A. B., Shah, C., Wylie-Rosett, J., Harris, S., Patel, S. R., Hall, C. B., and Sparano, J. A. (2007). Randomized controlled trial of yoga among a multiethnic sample of breast cancer patients: Effects on quality of life. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 25(28), 4387-4395. doi:10.1200/JCO.2006.06.6027

Richards, P. S., Berrett, M. E., Hardman, R. K., and Eggett, D. L. (2006). Comparative efficacy of spirituality, cognitive, and emotional support groups for treating eating disorder inpatients. Eating Disorders, 14(5), 401-415. doi:10.1080/10640260600952548

Uppal, S. (2006). Impact of the timing, type, and severity of disability on the subjective well-being of individuals with disabilities. Social Science and Medicine, 63(2), 525-539. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.02.016

Visser, A., Garssen, B., and Vingerhoets, A. (2010). Spirituality and well-being in cancer patients: A review. Psycho-Oncology, 19(6), 565-572. doi:10.1002/pon.1626

Religiosity/Spirituality and Well-Being Among Different Age Groups:

Abdel-Khalek, A. M. (2007). Religiosity, happiness, health, and psychopathology in a probability sample of Muslim adolescents. Mental Health, Religion, and Culture, 10(6), 571-583.

Mackenzie, E. R., Rajagopal, D. E., Meibohm, M., and Lavizzo-Mourey, R. (2000). Spiritual support and psychological well-being: older adults’ perceptions of the religion and health connection. Alternative Therapies in Health ND Medicine, 6(6), 37-45.

Nooney, J. G. (2005). Religion, stress, and mental health in adolescence: Findings from Add Health. Review of Religious Research, 46(4), 341-354.

Religious Social Networks and Well-Being:

Koenig, L. B., and G. E. Vaillant. (2009). A prospective study of church attendance and health over the lifespan. Health Psychology, 28(1), 117-124.

Meaning in Life and Psychological Well-Being:

Bauer-Wu, S., and Farran, C. J. (2005). Meaning in life and psychospiritual functioning: a comparison of breast cancer survivors and healthy women. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 23(2), 172-190. doi:10.1177/0898010105275927

Goldstein, E. D. (2007). Sacred moments: Implications on well-being and stress. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 63(10), 1001-1019.

Halama, P., and Dedova, M. (2007). Meaning in life and hope as predictors of positive mental health: do they explain residual variance not predicted by personality traits? Studia Psychologica, 49(3), 191 – 201.

Haslam, A., Jetten, J., Postmes, T., and Haslam, C. (2009). Social identity, health, and wellbeing: an emerging agenda for applied psychology. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 58(1), 1-23.

Ho, M. Y., Cheung, F. M., & Cheung, S. F. (2010). The role of meaning in life and optimism in promoting well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 48(5), 658-663.

Jim, H. S., Andersen, B. L. (2007). Meaning in life mediates the relationship between social and physical functioning and distress in cancer survivors. British Journal of Health Psychology, 12(3): 363-381. doi:10.1348/135910706X128278

Vilchinksky, N., and S. Kravetz. (2005). How are religious belief and behavior good for you? An investigation of mediators relating religion to mental health in a sample of Israeli Jewish students. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 44(4), 459-471.

Religiosity/Spirituality and Psychological Well-Being:

Diener, E., Tay, L., Myers, D. G. (2011). The religion paradox: If religion makes people happy, why are so many dropping out? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(6), 1278 – 1290.

Ellison, C. G. (1991). Religious involvement and subjective well-being. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 32(1), 80 – 99.

French, S., and Joseph, S. (1999). Religiosity and its association with happiness, purpose in life, and self-actualisation. Journal of Mental Health, Religion, and Culture, 2(2): 117-120.

Galen, L.W., and Kloet, J. (2011). Mental well-being in the religious and the non-religious: evidence for a curvilinear relationship. Mental Health, Religion, & Culture, 14(7), 673-689.

[expand title=”Inglehart, R. F. (2010). “Faith and Freedom: Traditional and Modern Ways to Happiness.” pp. 351-97 in International Differences in Well-Being, edited by E. Diener, J. F. Helliwell, and D. Kahneman. New York: Oxford University Press.”] There are two main routes to happiness, one linked with modernization and another with traditional belief systems. In so far as modernization brings greater income, and political and personal freedom, it is conducive to rising subjective well-being — and in recent decades, it has actually made people happier. Economic development helps but its impact follows a curve of diminishing returns and rising social tolerance and political freedom played even more important roles in the global rise of subjective well-being that occurred from 1981 to 2007. Belief systems also shape subjective well-being, and religion has traditionally helped offset the effect of poverty. Thus, within most countries religious people are happier than non-religious people, although they tend to have lower incomes. And cross-nationally, the people of strongly religious low-income countries are substantially happier than the people of less religious low-income countries. Ideologies also help shape subjective well-being. Today, the publics of most ex-communist countries show weak or negative correlations between religion and subjective well-being. This seems to reflect a recent influx of unhappy people, who have turned to religion following the collapse of faith in communist ideology, which once provided a sense of meaning and certainty for many people. [/expand]

Ivtzan, I., Chan, C. P. L., Gardner, H. E., Prashar, K. (2013). Linking religion and spirituality with psychological well-being: examining self-actualisation, meaning in life, and personal growth initiative. Journal of Religion and Health, 52(3), 915-929.

Kashdan, T. B., and Nezlek, J. B. (2012). Whether, when, and how is spirituality related to well-being? Moving beyond single occasion questionnaires to understanding daily process. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38(11), 1523 – 1535.

Lelkes, O. (2006). Tasting freedom: Happiness, religion, and economic transition. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 59(2), 173-194.

Lim, C., and Putnam, R. D. (2010). Religion, social networks, and life satisfaction. American Sociological Review, 75(6), 914 – 933.

Ryan, M. E., and Francis, A. J. P. (2012) . Locus of control beliefs mediate the relationship between religious functioning and psychological health. Journal of Religion and Health, 51(3), 774 – 785.