Stress: a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. We live in a very demanding world, it seems that the world we are in is always demanding our attention and requiring us to stop everything to give our attention to it. It’s common sense that chronic stress weakens the immune system, it also is linked to bodily inflammation, which in turn is linked with serious health conditions. But what can we do in our daily lives to help with that?
A recent study by Tavares et al.1 published in 2018 showed higher intrinsic religiosity attenuated the effects of stress on inflammation, suggesting that individuals with strong religious commitment/motivation may better cope with stress. It is important to note that what really benefited the individuals is intrinsic religiosity. According to the authors “intrinsic religiosity is much more concerned with how one’s religious beliefs affect one’s life and one’s approach to life, including the interpretation of everyday events and behaving in accordance with those
respective beliefs”. It is not related to church attendance, but how the individual may apply the concepts and beliefs to their everyday lives.
1. Tavares JL, Ronneberg CR, Miller EA, Burr JA. Stress and inflammation among older adults: The moderating role of religiosity. J Relig Spiritual Aging. 2019;31(2):187-202. doi:10.1080/15528030.2018.1536910
About The Author: Clarissa Romez
Clarissa has a Master's in Molecular Biology from the University of Brasília (UnB) and is passioned about bridging the gap between Science and Faith. She works as a research assistant for GMRI investigating healing testimonies and writing case reports about them.
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