(November 29, 2014 at 9:09 pm)Aractus Wrote: As I mentioned in another thread recently: religious attendance is identified as a determinant of health, well-being and happiness, and the information above of course confirms this.
So to the rest of the atheists on this forum: we may be right, but we're going to live shorter lives, suffer more mental illnesses and be more unhappy.
I think it's actually more to do with the culture/society one is in, and how it relates to the predominant religion in that culture. If one is an open Atheist in a place where the religious are taught to despise Atheists, this will probably make them unhappy.
Social interaction is beneficial to health and happiness. If being a religious person in your culture is more likely to result in a greater level of social interaction then chances are you may be happier.
There is a whole load of info on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_and_happiness