Religion and Faith Are Good for Your Soul and Body

Like all physicians, we've seen things we can't explain. Every now and then, we spot new research showing that religion and faith are good for more than your soul. We believe that somehow spiritual health improves physical well-being. When belief is strong, it seems to keep your heart, blood vessels, brain, and immune system younger.

Talk about tough things to study!

Still, inventive scientists find ways (Dr. Oz is a pioneer in this area). New research from Norway confirms a faith-wellness connection already seen in North America: The more often you attend religious services, the healthier your blood pressure. That's true for both women and men. Supreme beings don't discriminate.

But the chicken-and-egg question remains: Do people who frequently attend religious services already have low blood pressure or does having a strong, active faith somehow lower your blood pressure? Who knows, but the relationship is clearly there. People who are religiously active have healthier arteries. How young are your arteries? Got a yardstick? Do this test and find out.

There's lots of other intriguing evidence that faith is good for you. Attending services soothes stress, increases your connections to others, creates a sense of goodness in the world, makes you much less vulnerable to depression, and helps you remember more. Spiritual support can also help you or someone you love deal with cancer.

Not that into religion? Keep smiling. The same large, long, ongoing Norwegian study (120,000 people, nearly 25 years) has also linked good humor with long life. You don't have to be Jay Leno. Just keep that twinkle in your eye. Do you get more points if you laugh at the jokes in your minister's sermons? We haven't studied that yet.

If you tickle your funny bone regularly, you'll lower your blood pressure.

Can prayer help both your health and somebody else's? Here's our take.