From “World Survey Links Religion And Happiness – For Some” (Medical News Today, August 9, 2011), we learn:
There may be a few atheists in foxholes, but a new study suggests that in societies under stress, those who are religious outnumber – and are happier than – their nonreligious counterparts. Where peace and plenty are the norm, however, religious participation is lower and people are happier whether or not they are religious, the researchers found.
The trouble is, as the Brit riots show, the happiness that comes from having all one’s needs met does not necessarily correlate to any other value at all. In that respect, secularist socialism has been, objectively a bust everywhere.
Religious affiliation appears to boost happiness and wellbeing in societies that fail to provide adequate food, jobs, health care, security and educational opportunities, the researchers found.
It’s not hard to figure out why: Most people judge churches (at least) by their community service, even though that is not their principal objective. So they look to churches to help, and are very often right.
Apparently, 68% of people worldwide claim to be religious, no definition offered.
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