Living a spiritually engaged life may lower your chance of death and reduce stress. Being spiritual has been shown to:
- reduce stress
- promote healthy lifestyle choices
- increase feelings of belonging
All of these health and quality of life benefits are associated with lowered mortality rates, says Dr. Chandrakant Shah, a researcher at the University of Toronto.
Based on the review of data from Statistics Canada's National Population Health Survey and 42 other studies, Shah says up to 43,000 deaths a year in Canada may be linked to spiritually unengaged lifestyles.
Shah defines a spiritually engaged lifestyle as one that involves balanced beliefs and values which honor family, friends, the larger community and the environment. Material goods play a relatively minor role in a spiritually engaged lifestyle, and being spiritual does not necessarily require you to practice an organized religion, he says.
Shah says that social tolerance, adequate personal space and promoting a healthy community also foster spirituality.
