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Research has confirmed<\/a> that people who actively practice their faith are more hopeful and are less likely to be unhappy in periods of isolation as those imposed by the COVID-19 lockdowns.<\/p>\n \u201cWe find that being religious significantly reduces the negative mental health outcomes associated with Covid-19 incidence in one\u2019s social network,\u201d the researchers wrote.<\/p>\n They noted that \u201cif a respondent [of the survey] displayed high religious attendance in the past, this helped them to mitigate the effects of Covid-19 on their mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n The research also discovered that the benefits presented by practicing faith were \u201cstrongly driven by attendance at religious services,\u201d not just belief or praying.<\/p>\n As a whole, \u201creligious people, on average, have better mental health than non-religious people,\u201d according to the research. \u201cWe find that the worsening of mental health associated with Covid-19 was around 60% higher for non-religious individuals compared to individuals with similar characteristics having average levels of religiosity,\u201d the authors added.<\/p>\n The link between positive mental health and faith comes<\/a> as more than a quarter of Americans identify as religious \u201cnones.\u201d<\/p>\n Of those \u201cnones,\u201d 17% are atheist, 20% are agnostic, and 63% are \u201cnothing in particular,\u201d Pew Research reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sixty percent of the religious \u201cnones\u201d reported that they \u201cquestion a lot of religious teachings.\u201d<\/p>\n Religious \u201cnones\u201d are also \u201cless civically engaged and socially connected than people who identify with a religion,\u201d Pew explained. \u201cOn average, they are less likely to vote, less likely to have volunteered lately, less satisfied with their local communities and less satisfied with their social lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n