Religiosity/spirituality and health. A critical review of the evidence for biological pathways.
Teresa E Seeman, Linda Fagan Dubin, Melvin Seeman
The American psychologist January 2003 DOI: 10.1037/0003-066x.58.1.53 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Randomized Cross-sectional Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key findings | The authors conclude that available evidence generally supports a link between religiosity/spirituality and health-related physiological processes, with the strongest support from randomized trials of meditation, particularly transcendental meditation. |
Abstract
The authors review evidence regarding the biological processes that may link religiosity/spirituality to health. A growing body of observational evidence supports the hypothesis that links religiosity/spirituality to physiological processes. Although much of the earliest evidence came from cross-sectional studies with questionable generalizability and potential confounding, more recent research, with more representative samples and multivariate analysis, provides stronger evidence linking Judeo-Christian religious practices to blood pressure and immune function. The strongest evidence comes from randomized interventional trials reporting the beneficial physiological impact of meditation (primarily transcendental meditation). Overall, available evidence is generally consistent with the hypothesis that religiosity/spirituality is linked to health-related physiological processes--including cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and immune function--althogh more solid evidence is needed.