Key to Happiness?

Are people who practice a religion happier?

I met some devout Mormons during a trip to Utah last June. They seemed more grounded than most people. While strolling around Salt Lake City and a suburb, I saw a greater percentage of nuclear families hanging out together than in other parts of the country. These families exuded happiness.

A newspaper in Salt Lake City reported that 'Utahns continue to be less likely than the average American to smoke, abuse drugs, die of cancer or give birth as a teenager.' In Utah, Mormons are a majority. And lots of Mormons are devoted to their faith.            

Later in Massachusetts I photographed devout Catholics honoring Our Lady of Fatima (see photo). At the conclusion of the event, attendees donated one dollar to obtain a flower carried with the statue. These folks, members of a parish of Portuguese ethnicity, also seemed more grounded than most. 

Modern culture, with the distractions of television and the internet, offers us less fellowship.
When was the last time you sat on a jet and engaged in a long conversation with a stranger?
Chances were, that fellow human being--and you--paid more attention to an electronic device.

Religious people are happier because churches, synagogues, and mosques provide real fellowship, the face to face kind. For too many people, that kind of socialization rarely or doesn't happen.