Mind over Misery: Belief in a Higher Power Seems to Aid Good Health

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"Nobody knows the trouble I've seen. Nobody knows but Jesus." So goes the verse of a well-known spiritual. And, while nonbelievers may draw little comfort from the sentiment expressed, recent scientific studies indicate that trusting in some power greater than human skill and social institutions can produce measurable benefits for physical and mental health.

For example, geriatric researcher and neurologist Yakir Kaufman reports that suspected Alzheimer's patients whose lifestyles included deep religious faith and practice showed "significantly slower progression of cognitive decline." His findings, based on studies of middle-aged patients in Toronto and Jerusalem, tracked such factors as regular attendance at religious events and private religious activities (such as prayer). Kaufman …