Catholics who attend Mass frequently among the happiest Europeans
December 07, 2011
Examining various studies, including the European Values Survey, two professors at the University of Navarre have found “a significant effect of belonging to a religion on happiness.”
“The religion or denomination has a significant effect on happiness,” write Alejo José G. Sison and Juncal Cuñado. “Protestants, other Christian religions and Roman Catholics report higher happiness levels whereas Orthodox and Eastern religions report the lowest.”
“Frequency of attendance at services is likewise positively correlated with happiness: those who attend religious services every day say they are happier than those who never attend,” they add. “Frequency of prayer is positively correlated with happiness, with those who pray every day reporting higher levels of happiness than those who never pray.”
However, “frequency of attendance in services is a more relevant variable than frequency of prayer.”
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
-
Posted by: Justin8110 -
Dec. 08, 2011 10:29 PM ET USA
Regular attendance at Mass and regular prayer has brought a lot of happiness to my life. I still suffer ups and downs like everyone else but I have the grace of Christ now and it makes a huge difference.
-
Posted by: Mike in Toronto -
Dec. 07, 2011 11:57 PM ET USA
I doubt that this is a surprise to anyone who is or has been in the habit of assisting at Holy Mass daily. It is a practice that bears fruit.
