Church Attendance Can Result in a Long, Happy Life

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Studies show that people who attend church regularly tend to be healthier than those who don't go to church. Now, another study shows that those who attend church regularly also live longer than those who don't. Regular church attendance, as in the other studies, was defined as going to church at least once a week. This study was done by the Population Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

The data for the study began to be collected in 1987. Researchers from the Center for Disease Control interviewed 22,000 people in their homes about cancer risk factors. Then researchers from the Population Research Center studied 2,000 of those same people who had died between the original interviews in 1987 and 1995. They concluded that, on the average, those who attended church at least once a week lived seven years longer than those who didn't. Those who never attended church lived, on the average, to be 75 years old. But those who were regular in church attendance lived to an average age of 82. Researchers say that those who were regular in their church attendance may benefit from following their church's advice to avoid unhealthy behaviors. Further, they say, the social ties developed by regular church attenders result in close relationships with others who help monitor their health.

Of course, the study could not deal with the spiritual benefits of going to church. We learn those from reading about all the gifts God promises us in His Word.