Religious Involvement and Human Flourishing: A Review

Abstract

Objective

Human flourishing (HF) has received increasing attention in the academic literature as a common goal towards which all strive. Many individuals are involved in a religious community and practice other forms of religious involvement, which they believe leads to a flourishing life. This general review examines the research exploring the association between religious involvement and HF.

Methods

The review examines the quantitative research published in peer-reviewed medical, nursing, psychiatric, public health, and social science journals that examines the connection between religious involvement and six widely acknowledged dimensions of HF and the four pathways that lead to it. The emphasis here is on previously conducted systematic reviews of the literature and on more recent studies that support the findings from these earlier reviews.

Results

There is a growing amount of research showing that religious involvement is related to various aspects of human flourishing and the pathways that lead to it. However, there are a number of studies that do not report these positive findings. Hypothetical mechanisms, limitations of this review, clinical implications, and future research needs are discussed.

Conclusions

Primary care physicians and mental health professionals may benefit from knowing about the research on this topic as they care for patients, many of whom are spiritual or religious.