Practicing Catholics and Protestants among the happiest Europeans
December 07, 2011
Examining various studies, including the European Values Survey, two professors at the University of Navarre have found "a significant effect of belonging to a religion on happiness."
"The religion or denomination has a significant effect on happiness," write Alejo José G. Sison and Juncal Cuñado. "Protestants, other Christian religions and Roman Catholics report higher happiness levels whereas Orthodox and Eastern religions report the lowest."
"Frequency of attendance at services is likewise positively correlated with happiness: those who attend religious services every day say they are happier than those who never attend," they add. "Frequency of prayer is positively correlated with happiness, with those who pray every day reporting higher levels of happiness than those who never pray."
However, "frequency of attendance in services is a more relevant variable than frequency of prayer."
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