Religious involvement associated with longer life, especially among black Americans: study

While a growing share of adults have been focusing on diet and exercise to achieve better health, a new report from the Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University shows that religious involvement, particularly among black Americans, is associated with longer life and a host of positive health outcomes.

The report, titled “The Religion and Physical Health Connection: What Does the Best Science Reveal?,” is the second installment in the institute's three-part "Religion and Human Flourishing" series.

It reviewed 1,000 high-quality studies highlighted in the 2024 "Handbook of Religion and Health." The review found that an overwhelming majority — 876 studies — reported a beneficial relationship between religion and health. Only 124 studies reported adverse associations.

Frequent religious attendance was associated with greater longevity in 83% of the studies, showing an approximately 34% reduction in mortality risk. One study of more than 20,000 adults found that those who attended religious services frequently lived an average of 7.6 years longer than those who did not. The disparity nearly doubled to 13.7 years among black Americans.

“These are not fringe findings from a handful of studies — they reflect a consistent pattern across hundreds of the most rigorous investigations in the field,” said Loren D. Marks, a professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University and the lead author of the report, in a statement shared with The Christian Post.

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