The author accepts as a given that religiosity correlates with better health. There are numerous studies that support this, after all. This is "received wisdom.

The author accepts as a given that religiosity correlates with better health. There are numerous studies that support this, after all. This is "received wisdom." So I think this is a good time to point out that there's some new science on the subject. According to [1] which points you to [2], the above holds true only within societies where religiosity is the norm. The USA, being the most religious among prosperous Western countries, is not quite by coincidence the country where most such studies are conducted. In skimming one of many articles on the work of renowned expert Dr. Harold Koenig, I happened to note that one of the communities he sampled was in Texas. The picture becomes different, apparently, when you consider countries or regions where "God" is not a household word. There, this effect isn't observed. The author of [2], published just this month, concludes that "the health and longevity benefits of religiosity are restricted to highly religious regions." So sure, people who go with the flow are less likely to be stressed, more likely to be happy and healthy. But this seems to be a benefit of social conformity, not religion. [1] https://richarddawkins.net/2015/07/link-between-religiosity-good-health-debunked/ https://richarddawkins.net/2015/07/link-between-religiosity-... [2] http://spp.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/07/09/1948550615593149.abstract http://spp.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/07/09/194855061559...