In an article published in the United Kingdom on 15 June, The Times reported that a study done by Ohio State University concluded that religious people live, on average, more than five years longer than others.
“Their findings revealed that those people whose obituaries referenced religious affiliations tended to live up to 5.64 years longer than those that did not,” the article said.
The study analyzed more than 1,500 obituaries, comparing the ages of deceased persons whose obituaries referenced religious affiliation to those that did not.
.jpg)
Other similar studies have been conducted on the longevity of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called Mormons) compared to others.
The Washington Post reported that one such study, a 25-year study by the University of California Los Angeles, “found that Mormon men and women who were married, had never smoked, attended church weekly and had at least 12 years of education had some of the lowest death rates ever reported for any group followed for that long a time.”
A more recent study at Time.com provided evidence that longer life was associated with religiosity generally. It quipped, “If a long life is what you’re after, going to church may be the answer to your prayers.”
Mormons believe in following a health code known as the Word of Wisdom.