Religion And Mental Health

Have you ever wondered why even in the worst situations of our life, we try searching for the lesson that is being taught to us, even after facing adversities, we wait that one day for things to turn around and the way we get over failures thinking that, there might be greater plans waiting? It is because we believe in the higher, unseen, controlling power of religion. The religious views that “everything happens for a reason” and “god has better plans for you” give us hope that can be comforting in difficult times making life seem less chaotic.

Hope forms the foundation of every religion teaching us to enhance acceptance, endurance, and resilience. That’s why there is this saying in Sanskrit
Aasha jiwanhetu; swatrirasha mrityukaranam ||
Meaning that hope inspires life and despair attracts death.

Often in our lives, we tend to forget that mental health not only involves the freedom from mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and psychotic conditions, but it also involves the regular experience of positive emotions, such as joy, wonder, happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and hope. This is when righteousness comes into play.

Religious beliefs generate peace, self-confidence, purpose, forgiveness for the individual’s own failures, and a positive self-image. That is why, of approximately 100 studies conducted on religiousness and well-being, nearly 80% have found that religious people experience significantly more positive emotions compared to those who are less religious.

Let’s talk about the latter 20 percent, Religious beliefs include not only positive emotions but some negative emotions too. They can bring guilt, doubts, anxiety, and depression through enhanced self-criticism. For example, Excessive sexual activity is decried by most religions, and therefore, it may arouse a strong sense of guilt or anxiety in many. Similarly, any violation of religious rituals intentionally or unintentionally can generate considerable guilt.

I am pretty sure all of you have heard this statement, “your children will trouble you twice more than you trouble your parents”. We are constantly being reminded that what we do comes back to us one day (Karma) causing us to self-reflect in a way that we feel the necessity of confining ourselves to the norms of society.

A guy who is sure to fail his exams still takes it because he dwells in the positivity that something magical might happen. But it won’t. He just develops this passive waiting for god to handle a particular situation which further leads him to self-disappointments in life. Moreover, Religion teaches us not to question things and encourages people to believe in superstitions. For example, the idea: if you pray for something, god will make it happen.

We have been living with such superstitions because it is instilled in our minds from a very young age. In addition to that; religion has played a major role in many wars throughout world history. However, I strongly believe that even if there were no religion we humans would find something else to start a war over.

Religion is as old as mankind. Primitive man had primitive religions, they worshiped the elements of nature like the sun, earth, air, water, etc., Advances in civilization led to institutionalized religions. But the basic characteristics of all religions are similar. There is a firm belief in a universal force. Religion appeared to be a psychological necessity for mankind which later metamorphosed. With time, religious practices have turned into dogmas and superstitions. Although, most religions progress with time many become fossilized completely.

From mental health, perspective religion provides much-needed guidelines, which can help individuals to tolerate the stress, strains as well as uncertainties of life. However, many outmoded rituals and belief systems inhibit positive growth and may lead to mental health issues.

Therefore, the answer to the question of whether religion has beneficial or detrimental effects on the mental well-being of the adult individual is debatable. However, I personally believe that the positive aspects outweigh the negative aspects. The effect of religion on mental health has long been debated and remains controversial despite some positive findings in reviews of empirical research. The most plausible explanation for these mixed results is that the relationship between religion and mental health is not robust and is sensitive to the definitions adopted, the measures employed, and the samples studied.