Some years ago, I read a newspaper article which claimed that a recent large-scale academic study had showed that members of a church/faith groups were happier than other people. This was commented on by some religious leaders, who usually said something along the lines of ‘this just confirms what we’ve always known’, in short ‘religion is good for you’. This seemed to contradict the evidence of my experience, particularly from my university days and in my workplace, where some of the most worried, guilt-laden people I’ve ever met were the products of religious upbringings.

The author of this article, however, was unhappy at this interpretation of his work. In an interview with Laurie Taylor on Radio 4, he said that this was a travesty of what he had written; what his research showed was that belonging to some sort of well-defined group was a positive contributor to human happiness, and that church groups were only one example; belonging to a Trade Union, or a professional association, or a political party served just as well as examples. What was important, he said, was a sense of belonging, feeling connected, that a well-established organised group can bring. This made a lot more sense to me; indeed I could see that some of my religious colleagues got precisely this – and maybe more – from their church/temple/mosque. And similarly, I’ve known teachers and lawyers who saw their profession as a central part of their identity, and could feel instantly comfortable in the company of others in the same profession as them.

Unfortunately, I’ve never been a great “belonger”; I’ve found it hard to identify much with my workplace, my profession or a cause or group (unless you include the football team I’ve supported since childhood.) A couple of therapists have suggested that this has contributed to my mental health struggles, but this has been one of those cases when identifying an issue doesn’t make it any easier to solve or mitigate.

Maybe this resonates with some of you; maybe others find it easier to “belong”. But either way, I’d like to know what you think

Any thoughts?

Oldie but Goldie

A Moodscope member