Prayer and subjective well-being

[Black Aliss]

ecumenicus.blogspot.com/2014/03/prayer-and-subjective-well-being.html?spref=fb

Executive Summary:

Prayers of thanksgiving, adoration and reception were statistically significant predictors of positive subjective well-being, while prayers of confession, obligation and supplication were significantly correlated with negative well-being.

Hear that Maxwells? You're doing it wrong. Instead of begging your God for good roads, fair weather, iPhone cases, and playsets, you're supposed to be thanking him for everything he's given you.

[lillybeth]

I'm such a nerd. If anyone's interested in the actual study the blog is citing, it can be found here: tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10508610903146316#.UyS3hvmwKSo

It appears to be published in a reputable peer-reviewed journal. I glanced through the study (I have full access through my institution), and it looks interesting. They had 430 participants, of varying types of religion (and even some ebil atheists!)

If anyone was interested in the definitions of those types of prayer:

However, we also found that only some types of prayer have positive effects: adoration (pure worship of God without reference to specific events or needs), thanksgiving (thanks to God for specific positive outcomes or circumstances), and prayers of reception (prayers focused on opening oneself up to closeness with God)

Neat! Thanks for bringing this to my attention :)