The answer to the question are religious people happier is… maybe. There is no topic of discussion more dangerous than religion. This article is not about debating the existence of God, rather it is about celebrating the power of the human spirit regardless of whether someone is spiritual or religious or neither. In my line of work, I meet all kinds of people, from all kinds of backgrounds and with all kinds of beliefs. I am extremely respectful of other people’s beliefs but there is one belief (often religion based, but not always) that some people hold that should not be accepted.
These are the people that claim that 100% or close to 100% of the responsibility of how their life is and will continue to be is due to external factors out of their control. One such example may be God. There are people who pray every night for their life to change but actively do nothing to seek a real solution to the problems they face. I believe there is nothing wrong with having a belief in God, and to answer the great question, statistically speaking, the overall answer to are religious people happier is yes! I also have no problem with the idea that God may play a part in life events. What I find concerning is when I meet people who have an over-reliance on God. These are the people that are dependent on God and use God as an excuse not to claim any responsibility for their past, current or future actions. Are these religious people happier? No! I believe that if you want to believe in God, believe in God as a guide and not a puppet-master.
To believe that you have no real influence over your life is incredibly dis-empowering in most cases. The research continually shows that those people that accept responsibility for their actions and in any event focus on what they believe they can control, regardless of other religious beliefs, are much healthier and happier.
If you think of great role-models, heroes of today, I am not aware of any who did not have a firm belief in the power of individual choice. That is what makes them heroic, because they made a choice to live and act a certain way.
In your life, there is one thing I can guarantee. You will face challenges. The challenges you face require analysis and acceptance of external uncontrollable factors. However, what is also required is for you to take responsibility and know that you always have options and that all choices carry consequences that will specifically increase or decrease the quality of your life.
Reflection Exercise: Think of 3 times in your life when you fell into the trap of completely blaming external factors for the challenges you faced. Looking back, knowing what you know now, write down what you could have done that would have created a more positive outcome. (E.g. Perhaps it would have been specifically changing some of the actions you took, or shifting your attitude towards the problem). Then consider how you will use these lessons to assist you in facing 3 possible future challenges.
