The psychological benefits of praying

Prayer is a universal human experience that people have engaged with throughout time. Although most common with religious people, even those who do not consider themselves religious might find themselves praying when in an especially difficult situation. Prayer can be defined as any communication to a divine being. While the effects of prayer on reality are difficult to study, the effects of the act of praying on the one who prays have been studied extensively. Specific forms of praying have been shown to result in positive mental health benefits such as decreased anxiety, as well as better physical health outcomes. Various reasons for these positive outcomes have been cited, such as prayer's overlap with meditation, and communal forms of prayer. However, not all forms of praying have positive mental health outcomes, and there may be other factors for the effects. 

The act of praying, besides for being a religious act, can also be a therapeutic one. Studies have shown that when one prays, their heart rate slows down, their muscles are less tense, and their breathing slows (Upenieks, 2023). This lowered state of physiological arousal means that people who pray might experience less anxiety. When one prays, they are sharing their troubles with someone else, and gaining some perspective on their life, both of which can soothe the immediate stress of dealing with difficulties.

Not all prayer is done individually, in fact, one aspect of prayer that can bring about psychological benefits is when people pray communally. One study looked at the effects of religious involvement– including religious service attendance and prayer/meditation– for adolescents over time. They found that over time, when adolescents attended religious services at least weekly, they experienced better psychological well-being, more character strengths, lower risks of mental illness, and lower probability of drug use and risky sexual behaviors (Chen & VanderWeele, 2018). These outcomes could be because being actively religiously can provide meaning to one's life, and also teach skills such as forgiveness and meditation which would help adolescents prevent against stress in life. Additionally, especially for adolescents who are at a very impressionable age, being part of a religious community can provide positive role models for them, connect them with other peers who share the same values, and be a source of support during hard times.  

Another factor that contributes to the mental health benefits of praying is the fact that it is similar to meditation. When one is stressed, one can experience increased cortisol levels, heart rate, and blood pressure. If one is stressed over a long period of time, these negative health outcomes can become worse. One evidence based treatment for stress is meditation. There are various forms of meditation that can be grouped into categories of secular and spiritual meditation. One study (Wachholtz & Pargament, 2005) compared the effects of secular versus spiritual meditation on pain, anxiety, and mood. Participants were told to either practice a secular form of relaxation or a spiritual meditation practice for twenty minutes a day for two weeks, and the test was to see how long they could endure having their hands in an ice bath. The group that practiced spiritual meditation were able to endure the pain for longer, and reported lower anxiety, more positive mood, and greater spirituality. Therefore when people pray, they are experiencing the positive health and mental health benefits of spiritual meditation. McCulloch & Parks-Stamm (2020) found that the reason that prayer is so beneficial in reducing anxiety is because it grants the one who prays with greater perspective on their problems and emotional acceptance of their problems. In the study, even praying for five minutes about a personal problem expanded the participant's perspective about their problem and made them feel more resolved, at peace, and content. 

Although much of the scientific literature about the connection between praying and mental health benefits have been positive, there are also limitations and other factors to consider. One is that a connection between frequent praying and negative health can be found in some studies; this can be interpreted by saying that praying more can lead to negative health outcomes, or it can be because those who experience health problems have turned to prayer as a result of the illness (Chen & VanderWeele, 2018). Additionally, there are different types of prayer that can lead to different outcomes. Some forms of prayer such as seeking spiritual support by searching for comfort and reassurance through God's love and care have been shown to lead to improvements in health. However, if people engage in other forms of prayer that are more negative, such as believing that they are being punished, this can lead to deteriorations in health (Pargament et al., 2004). Therefore when deciding whether praying can lead to positive health outcomes, one must first account for any confounding factors, and one must also know what the nature of the prayer is.

In conclusion, there is evidence to support that the act of praying can lead to positive mental health outcomes. This can be due to how it lowers stress, or due to prayer's meditative features. Also, when one prays communally and engages in religious services, one can experience additional mental health outcomes. However, not all forms of prayer have these positive mental health effects, and some can even lead to worse outcomes. Further research could be conducted to examine precisely what happens neurologically when someone is praying, and if there are different outcomes depending on different religions. 

Works Cited

Chen, Y., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2018). Associations of Religious Upbringing With Subsequent Health and Well-Being From Adolescence to Young Adulthood: An Outcome-Wide Analysis. American Journal of Epidemiology, 187(11), 2355–2364. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwy142

McCulloch, K. C., & Parks-Stamm, E. J. (2020). Reaching resolution: The effect of prayer on psychological perspective and emotional acceptance. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 12(2), 254–259. https://doi-org.proxy.wexler.hunter.cuny.edu/10.1037/rel0000234

Pargament KI, Koenig HG, Tarakeshwar N, Hahn J. (2004) Religious Coping Methods as Predictors of Psychological, Physical and Spiritual Outcomes among Medically Ill Elderly Patients: A Two-year Longitudinal Study. Journal of Health Psychology.;9(6):713-730. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105304045366

Upenieks L. (2023). Unpacking the Relationship Between Prayer and Anxiety: A Consideration of Prayer Types and Expectations in the United States. Journal of religion and health, 62(3), 1810–1831. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-022-01708-0

Wachholtz, A. B., & Pargament, K. I. (2005). Is spirituality a critical ingredient of meditation? Comparing the effects of spiritual meditation, secular meditation, and relaxation on spiritual, psychological, cardiac, and pain outcomes. Journal of behavioral medicine, 28(4), 369–384. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-005-9008-5