Maselko of the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health argued that science could begin to answer a longstanding debate: whether religion and spirituality enhance physical health and well-being. In one project, she analyzed responses from the 1998 General Social Survey, a nationally representative study of nearly 1,500 adult Americans conducted by the National Data Program for Social Sciences at the University of Chicago. The analysis suggested that people who engage in weekly public and private religious activities, such as going to church or praying, reported significantly higher levels of psychological well-being than people who did not.

Delving further into the association between specific health indicators and religious practices, Maselko combed data from the MacArthur Successful Aging Study, a longitudinal study of men and women between the ages of 70 and 79 that collected self-reports from participants on their lifestyles, backed by physical measurements, such as urine and blood analyses.

Maselko found that women in their 70s who attended religious services more frequently had a lower allostatic load–a general measure of the body’s wear and tear that includes cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and metabolic and hormonal indicators–than women who attended services less often.

Using the same MacArthur study as a basis, Maselko focused on the respiratory health of both men and women, detecting a slower rate of decline in pulmonary function among attendees of regular religious services. Lung function was measured by peak expiratory flow rate, or how fast the participants could exhale air.

Maselko acknowledged that it is difficult to isolate factors that can account for religion’s effect on health. Religion may give people access to social networks that benefit their overall well-being, she said, but she believes that the explanation is more complex. Religion may also help deepen social connections, family bonds, and daily life in a way that keeps people healthier and wards off stress, she suggested.

"At the end of the day, that person has access to resources that other people don’t have," she said.

--CH