Is religion good for you? Analysing three decades worth of academic research on the relationship between religion and well-being

The relationship between religion and well-being is widely and frequently reported. Over the past year, the think tank Theos has analysed 139 academic studies conducted over the last three decades to discover whether there is a link, and if so, what this link means. Here, author of the report, Nick Spencer writes that it is in breaking down ‘religion’ into the multiple ways the term has, and can, be used that a fuller picture starts to appear. Indeed, the clearest beneficial effects of ‘religion’ come from a particular aspect of religion – group participation. The benefit of collective action can also offer lessons for wider society.