Church goers live 14 years more than non-goers — Research

A growing body of research shows that regularly attending religious services can significantly prolong one's lifespan.

According to a recent article by Professor Raphael Nyarkotey Obu, a Professor of Naturopathic Healthcare, a Medical Journalist, an author, and a science writer, sourced from several studies, weekly churchgoers live as much as 14 years longer than non-attendees.

One extensive 9-year study of over 21,000 American adults conducted by Hummer et al. in 1996 revealed that people who went to church every week lived 7 more years on average compared to those who didn't attend services.

Even more strikingly, African-Americans who attended more than once a week were found to live 14 more years, twice as long as non-attendees.

"Apart from this, another comprehensive study conducted by Stampfer et al. in 2016, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that women who went to any kind of religious service more than once a week had a 33% lower chance than their secular peers of dying during the 16-year study-follow-up period," revealed Professor Obu in a portion of the article.

Additional research by Bruce et al. in 2017 published in PLOS One showed that regular service attendance was linked to reductions in the body's stress responses and mortality.

Worshippers, per the article, were 55% less likely to die during an 18-year follow-up period than non-attendees.

A 28-year study by Strawbridge et al. in 1997 published in the American Journal of Public Health also found lower mortality rates among frequent religious attendees.

This was partly attributed to improved health practices, increased social contacts, and more stable marriages associated with attendance.

"Some studies have found that prayer can improve disease outcomes and prolong survival, while others have been less conclusive," Professor Obu noted.

Overall, the accumulated research strongly indicates that actively participating in religious services can add over a decade to one's lifespan compared to non-participation.

This impact is more pronounced among African American churchgoers.