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Mental & Physical Health20246 min read
In Israel, a Surprising Link Between Faith and Health
Religious Differences in Physical and Mental Health among Israeli Jews: Findings from the Global Flourishing Study
- By
- Levin, Jeff et al.
- Participants
- 2,916
- Countries
- 1
- Journal
- Journal of Religion and Health
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10943-024-02078-5
§1
Key Takeaways
01
Among Israeli Jews, there is a consistent gradient where higher levels of religious observance are associated with better self-reported physical health, mental health, and overall well-being.
02
The positive association between religiousness and health persists even after accounting for demographic and socioeconomic factors like age, sex, income, and education.
03
This linear relationship, where the most religious groups report the best health, contrasts with older research from 2004 that found a U-shaped curve where both secular and ultra-Orthodox Jews had better health than those in the middle.
§2
Why It Matters
As Israel's most religious groups grow, their distinct health outcomes have major implications for the nation's future well-being.
These findings matter for several reasons. For healthcare providers and policymakers in Israel, understanding that health and well-being differ across religious subgroups can help tailor services and allocate resources more effectively. Mental health professionals, in particular, may benefit from recognizing that very religious patients report lower levels of depression and anxiety — challenging stereotypes that may exist about psychological well-being in strict religious communities. For researchers, this study adds to a growing body of evidence that religious identity and practice are relevant variables in population health, not just in Christian-majority countries but among Jews as well. The results also raise important questions for future research: what specific aspects of religious life — community belonging, prayer, dietary practices, social support — account for these differences? As the Global Flourishing Study continues with future waves, researchers will be able to track whether these patterns hold over time and explore possible explanations.
These findings matter for several reasons. For healthcare providers and policymakers in Israel, understanding that health and well-being differ across religious subgroups can help tailor services and allocate resources more effectively. Mental health professionals, in particular, may benefit from recognizing that very religious patients report lower levels of depression and anxiety — challenging stereotypes that may exist about psychological well-being in strict religious communities. For researchers, this study adds to a growing body of evidence that religious identity and practice are relevant variables in population health, not just in Christian-majority countries but among Jews as well. The results also raise important questions for future research: what specific aspects of religious life — community belonging, prayer, dietary practices, social support — account for these differences? As the Global Flourishing Study continues with future waves, researchers will be able to track whether these patterns hold over time and explore possible explanations.
As Israel's most religious groups grow, their distinct health outcomes have major implications for the nation's future well-being.
§3
The Story
In Israel, Jewish identity spans a wide spectrum — from hiloni (secular) at one end to charedi (ultra-Orthodox) at the other. Researchers used data from nearly 3,000 Jewish adults in the Global Flourishing Study to ask a simple but powerful question: does where you fall on this spectrum relate to your physical and mental health? The answer was striking.
Moving from secular to ultra-Orthodox, Jewish Israelis report steadily higher life satisfaction and steadily lower anxiety and pain.
Across nine different health and well-being measures — including self-rated physical health, mental health, happiness, life satisfaction, bodily pain, depression, anxiety, and suffering — a clear pattern emerged. People who identified as more religious tended to report better health and well-being, and less pain and distress. For example, secular respondents rated their mental health around 8. 3 out of 10, while ultra-Orthodox respondents rated theirs around 9.
5. Happiness scores climbed from about 7. 6 among secular respondents to 9. 0 among the ultra-Orthodox. Meanwhile, reports of depression, anxiety, and bodily pain dropped as religiousness increased.
These differences held up even after accounting for age, sex, education, income, marital status, where people lived, and whether they were born in Israel. The study doesn't tell us why this pattern exists — it could be community support, coping resources, lifestyle behaviors, or other factors. But it does paint a picture of a consistent relationship between religious identity and health across the Jewish population in Israel.
Figures
+1.8 points
Life Satisfaction Difference
On a 10-point scale, ultra-Orthodox (charedi) Jews reported life satisfaction scores that were, on average, 1.8 points higher than those of secular (hiloni) Jews.
1.45x
Higher Depression Scores
Secular (hiloni) Jews reported average depression scores 1.45 times higher than those reported by ultra-Orthodox (charedi) Jews.
4%
Health Problems Reported
Only 4% of ultra-Orthodox (charedi) Jews reported having health problems that restrict activity, compared to 13% of secular (hiloni) Jews.
+1.2 points
Mental Health Gap
On a 10-point scale, ultra-Orthodox (charedi) Jews reported mental health scores 1.2 points higher on average than secular (hiloni) Jews.
§4
Reader Questions
Research Details
& Citation
Chat with this paperPublished
2024
Journal
Journal of Religion and Health
Participants
2,916
Countries
1
Cite this paper
Levin, J., Bradshaw, M., & Johnson, B. R. (2024). Religious Differences in Physical and Mental Health among Israeli Jews: Findings from the Global Flourishing Study. Journal of Religion and Health, 63(4), 2544–2558. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-024-02078-5Tags
religion-spiritualitymental-healthphysical-healthhappinesslife-satisfactiondepression-anxiety
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