A new study by a team from the University of San Francisco aims to analyze the cause-and-effect relationship between daily prayers and the well-being (or not) of those who pray. Because this is one of the few studies of its kind, and because it tends to be based on US and UK subjects, we’ll stick with it until similar studies appear in other parts of the world, right here.

The study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, is actually the sum of three different studies involving 350 volunteers. They were asked to write down every day, for two weeks, all their daily experiences, emotions, feelings and, very carefully, the type of prayer they performed. It should be emphasized here that the authors of the study classified prayers according to four types: prayers of request, thanksgiving, confession and worship.

Adding to these observations are statistical analyzes conducted between 2014 and 2021, which show that on average, 44 to 55 percent of Americans pray daily. In the UK, things are less clear from this point of view, especially because the data obtained have produced conflicting results.

For example, a 2021 public opinion poll found that 51 young Britons pray at least once a month, compared to just 24% of over-55s. The survey, which was initially seen as evidence of a resurgence of religious views in Britain, was disputed after others produced data that starkly contrasted it. In contrast, less than 20% of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 still pray, at least once a month.

Returning to the results of the study, they provide the data we expected, at least in part. Thus, it turned out that prayers of “request” and “thanksgiving” are undoubtedly the most common, followed by prayers of worship and confession. What is again not a big surprise is that prayers are strongly influenced by daily experiences.

For example, people who experience positive feelings throughout the day tend to say more prayers of thanksgiving and worship. At the same time, if emotions are negative, prayers-requests or confession prevail.

If we must emphasize the conclusion of what we have emphasized so far, the fact that the authors of the study also emphasize is that prayers fluctuate from one day to the next, and their content changes according to the experience that each person has. . As I said, there are no big surprises yet.

How prayers affect our well-being

But the really interesting part of the study begins when the cause-and-effect relationship between a person’s well-being and the prayers he performs is considered. Psychologically speaking, each of the four forms of prayer is associated with the main state of mind: gratitude – gratitude, confession – guilt, adoration – fear, and request – envy.

In the same vein, the researchers noted that there is a certain causal relationship between the type of prayer performed on one day and the mental state of the person concerned the next day. For example, statistics show that people who perform prayers of worship, supplication, or thanksgiving tend to feel worse the next day. What is really interesting is that this effect is not noticed in those who pray every day. This means, according to the authors of the study, that inconsistent prayers have a negative effect on the mental state.

The psychologists who signed the study acknowledge that the data presented in it are not exhaustive, and that other similar studies need to be conducted to have a clearer picture of the causal relationship between prayer and well-being. One reason may be that the research presented here does not differentiate between younger and older adults.

There is no doubt that older people pray more than young people. They are also much more likely to experience a sense of peace and tranquility. In particular, each age group has different views on life and everyday experience, and this was not taken into account during the study.

Then, the researchers say, the study looked specifically at people of the Christian faith. There is no data on adherents of other religions or, depending on the circumstances, atheists or agnostics. As the authors note, the types of prayers, as well as their frequency, of course, differ from one religion to another. And so far we can draw a conclusion. Namely, that prayers are affected by your daily states, but they can also affect your mental state, from one day to the next. Now to decide whether it will affect her for better or for worse.

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