New research finds religion helps workers cope with stress

Dr Roxane Gervais

New psychological research suggests that employees who practice a religious faith feel better and are more likely to report that their lives have meaning.

These are the key findings of a study that will be presented on Thursday 9 January, 2013, at the Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Occupational Psychology’s in Brighton.

Dr Roxane Gervais undertook her research with 34 full-time employees in the Caribbean, who were young, largely female and more likely to be single than married, using a number of well-validated measures including job satisfaction, religiosity and well-being.

The study concluded that employees who are more actively religious are more likely to report low levels of anxiety, depression and fatigue and also higher presence of meaning in life, that is feeling that their lives have meaning.

The workers responded that attending religious services connects them to a higher being as well as makes them feel better about themselves.

Dr Gervais said: “As the pace of work and life accelerates, people long for meaning, and the younger generation in particular is looking for more than just a big pay cheque at the end of the month.

“My research shows that religiosity in the workplace may act as a resource, making people more resilient to cope with the many challenges of working life. Such personal beliefs could be very helpful not only for employees, but also for employers providing people with a buffer zone.

“We should hence encourage employers to accommodate, where possible, employees’ religious beliefs while at work, and not shy away from the issue.”