Chapter 8provide valuable social interaction. We began this chapter
with the importance of ethical values, be they religious or
secular in origin. But what of the specific effects of religion?
The Gallup World Poll provides important evidence.^33
Some 68% of adults in the world say that “religion is im-
portant in their daily lives.” Religious belief and practice is
more common in countries where life is harder (lower in-
come, life expectancy, education, and personal safety). After
controlling crudely for those factors, there is no difference
in life- satisfaction between more and less religious coun-
tries. Nor, within countries where life is less hard, are reli-
gious people systematically more satisfied with life than less
religious people.
The position is somewhat different if we focus exclu-
sively on the United States, using the Gallup Daily Poll.^34
Here, after allowing for other factors, more religious US
states are on average more satisfied with life. And so are
more religious people. In comparisons between individuals
there is always the problem that people who are naturally
happier in given circumstances may be more willing to be-
lieve that there is a benevolent deity. However meta- analysis
concludes that greater religiosity is mildly associated with
fewer depressive symptoms,^35 and 75% of studies find at
least some positive effect of religion on well- being.^36 This
effect is particularly prevalent in high- loss situations, such
as bereavement, and weaker in low- loss situations, such as
marital problems. Thus religion can reduce the well- being
consequences of stressful events, via its stress- buffering role.^37
A recent large study of individuals in the European Social
Survey also found small but statistically significant effects
on life- satisfaction of “ever attending religious services” and
“ever praying.”^38 And interestingly the religiosity of others