HIGHER levels of emotional well-being among people of faith reflect the lens through which they are “seeing, interpreting, and navigating life”, a new report by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) suggests.
“Faith works because it is a way of life,” it argues. “People of faith can respond to life with more optimism and courage and find greater happiness and contentment mainly because of how they view the world. Life is always open to more, to something greater than personal fears and circumstances.”
The report, Faith and Happiness: How religious belief shapes Britain’s emotional well-being, written by Dr Amanda Murjan and published last month, draws on an online poll of 2068 UK adults by Whitestone Insight, in April, plus a “booster sample” of 451 Muslims and 291 Christians.
The data was weighted to be representative of all adults.
In total, Christians made up 48 per cent of the sample (42 per cent of whom said that they attended church at least once a month), and Muslims five per cent (of which 93 per cent said that they attended mosque at least once a month). In addition, ten respondents of faith were interviewed.
The poll asked a range of questions about life satisfaction, worry and anxiety, low mood and depression, loneliness, and attitudes to mental health.
Muslims consistently reported the highest levels of life satisfaction, optimism about the future, and confidence in handling life’s challenges. Eighty per cent agreed that they accepted their situation in life, compared with 60 per cent of those of no faith. Two-thirds of Muslims said that they could handle whatever life brings, compared with 48 per cent of Christian and 36 per cent of those without faith.
Drawing on interviews, the report links these responses to theological ideas in Islam, including “divine testing, growth through hardship, and the emotional regulation offered by prayer”.
A Sunni Muslim woman told the researchers: “It’s all down to that core belief that whatever has happened, I’m being gifted with something far better . . . whatever I had, wasn’t sufficient for the next phase of my life and the next part of my journey. . . And this makes me stronger.”
Both Christians and Muslims reported lower levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness, and more positive feelings, including resilience, optimism, gratitude, and self-efficacy than those without faith.
“People of faith showed greater confidence in their personal resources to handle whatever life throws at them and were more likely to believe they have control over their wellbeing,” the report concludes. “This strong sense of self-efficacy was a notable and potentially vital character strength shaping wellbeing for people of faith compared to those without. . .
“This may stem from a sense of unbreakable connection to something solid and stable that transcends life’s unpredictability and impermanence, which can strengthen personal resources to face all seasons of life. . . Feeling secure because we know we have the resources to cope with life’s unpredictability, and that we are never alone in doing so, may be crucial for enhancing our emotional health.”
The poll found that 81 per cent of Muslim respondents, and 78 per cent of Christians, said that they felt “in control of their mental health”, compared with 68 per cent of non-believers.
They were also more likely to advocate the need for greater resilience to handle hardship in life, compared with those without faith (85 per cent of Muslims and 82 per cent of Christians, compared with 70 per cent of those without faith).
“Our interview data suggests this may stem from a view of human potential as extensive within God’s grace, that through faith, people can develop the personal resources needed to face whatever life brings,” the report says.
The director research at the IIFL, Dr Charlotte Littlewood, said that faith should be “recognised as a partner in public health”. Yet “healthy, mainstream expressions of faith, especially within Muslim communities, are too often overshadowed in public discourse by narratives of suspicion and extremism. The data instead points to a different conclusion: that these communities are sources of emotional strength.”
