How Spirituality Can Benefit Your Health and Well-Being

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSignsTypesSpirituality vs. ReligionUsesImpactHow to PracticePotential Pitfalls

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Signs

Types

Spirituality vs. Religion

Uses

Impact

How to Practice

Potential Pitfalls

Spirituality is a worldview that suggests a dimension to life beyond what we experience on the sensory and physical levels. In practice, this might entail religious or cultural practices and beliefs surrounding a higher being, connection with others and the world as a whole, and/or the pursuit of self-improvement.

Having a connection to some type of spiritual belief has been a source of comfort and relief for many people. Although spirituality is highly individual, its meaning is often shared and expressed in group activities such as church services and holiday rituals. Research has linked spirituality with well-being and health in the face of life challenges.

At a GlanceSpirituality isn’t just about religious belief—it’s about connecting with something outside of yourself that brings meaning and connection to your life. This can involve following an established religious tradition, but it can also focus on spiritual practices like breathwork, service to others, and spending time in nature. People practice spirituality for various reasons, including finding community and fostering a greater sense of hope.Research suggests it can have very real benefits, including buffering the effects of stress and building a stronger social support system. If you want to bring spirituality into your life, consider trying practices such as mindfulness, empathy, meditation, and gratitude. Finding an approach that has meaning for you is the best way to reap the rewards.

At a Glance

Spirituality isn’t just about religious belief—it’s about connecting with something outside of yourself that brings meaning and connection to your life. This can involve following an established religious tradition, but it can also focus on spiritual practices like breathwork, service to others, and spending time in nature. People practice spirituality for various reasons, including finding community and fostering a greater sense of hope.Research suggests it can have very real benefits, including buffering the effects of stress and building a stronger social support system. If you want to bring spirituality into your life, consider trying practices such as mindfulness, empathy, meditation, and gratitude. Finding an approach that has meaning for you is the best way to reap the rewards.

Research suggests it can have very real benefits, including buffering the effects of stress and building a stronger social support system. If you want to bring spirituality into your life, consider trying practices such as mindfulness, empathy, meditation, and gratitude. Finding an approach that has meaning for you is the best way to reap the rewards.

What Spirituality Looks Like

Spirituality is not a single path or belief system. There are many ways to experience spirituality and the benefits of a spiritual experience. How you define spirituality will vary.

For some people, it’s the belief in a higher power or a specific religious practice. For others, it may involve experiencing a sense of connection to a higher state or a sense of inter-connectedness with the rest of humanity and nature.

Some characteristics of spirituality can include:

Not everyone experiences or expresses spirituality in the same way. Some people may seek spiritual experiences in every aspect of their lives, while others may be more likely to have these feelings under specific conditions or in certain locations.

For example, some people may be more likely to have spiritual experiences in churches or other religious temples, while others might have these feelings when they’re out enjoying nature.

Different Types of Spirituality

There are many different types of spirituality. For example, you might try to get in touch with your own sense of spirituality through:

Other people express their spirituality through religious traditions such as:

Spirituality Is DiverseIt is important to remember that there are many other spiritual traditions that exist throughout the world, including traditional African and Indigenous spiritual practices. Such spiritual practices can be particularly important to groups of people who have been subjected to the effects of colonialism.

Spirituality Is Diverse

It is important to remember that there are many other spiritual traditions that exist throughout the world, including traditional African and Indigenous spiritual practices. Such spiritual practices can be particularly important to groups of people who have been subjected to the effects of colonialism.

Spirituality vs. Religion: What’s the Difference?

Although spirituality and religion can overlap, here are some key points that differentiate the two.

SpiritualityCan be practiced individuallyDoesn’t have to adhere to a specific set of rulesOften focuses on a personal journey of discovering what is meaningful in lifeReligionOften practiced in a communityUsually based on a specific set of rules and customsOften focuses on the belief in deities or gods, religious texts, and tradition

SpiritualityCan be practiced individuallyDoesn’t have to adhere to a specific set of rulesOften focuses on a personal journey of discovering what is meaningful in life

Can be practiced individually

Doesn’t have to adhere to a specific set of rules

Often focuses on a personal journey of discovering what is meaningful in life

ReligionOften practiced in a communityUsually based on a specific set of rules and customsOften focuses on the belief in deities or gods, religious texts, and tradition

Often practiced in a community

Usually based on a specific set of rules and customs

Often focuses on the belief in deities or gods, religious texts, and tradition

Reasons to Bring Spirituality Into Your Life

People often turn to spirituality to:

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Research-Backed Benefits of Spirituality

While specific spiritual views are a matter of faith, research has demonstrated some of the benefits of spirituality and spiritual activity.

The results may surprise no one who has found comfort in their religious or spiritual views, but they are definitely noteworthy in that they demonstrate in a scientific way that these activities do have benefits for many people.

The following are a few more of the many positive findings related to spirituality and health:

This, along with other research, demonstrates that there may be tangible and lasting benefits to maintaining involvement with a spiritual community. This involvement—along with the gratitude that can accompany spirituality—can be a buffer against stress and is linked to greater levels of physical health.

Dedication to God or a higher power translated into less stress reactivity, greater feelings of well-being, and ultimately even a decreased fear of death.

People who feel comfortable and comforted using spirituality as a coping mechanism for stress can rest assured that there’s even more evidence that this is a good idea for them. Prayer works for young and old alike. Prayer and spirituality have been linked to:

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How to Practice Spirituality

Whether you are rediscovering a forgotten spiritual path, reinforcing your commitment to an already well-established one, or wanting to learn more about spirituality for beginners, there are countless ways to start exploring your spiritual side and help improve your well-being.

Spirituality is a very personal experience, and everyone’s spiritual path may be unique. Research shows, however, that some spiritual stress relief strategies have been helpful to many, regardless of faith.Some things you can do to start exploring spirituality include:

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Why Is Religion Important?

Takeaways

Research has noted a link between spirituality and resilience in the face of challenges. Whether this owes to a higher power, a sense of peace, community connection, or some other factor, spirituality may help foster your sense of well-being. Finding meaningful ways to connect with your own sense of spirituality—however you experience it—can be a powerful way to improve your psychological health and boost well-being.

14 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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Malinakova K, Tavel P, Meier Z, van Dijk JP, Reijneveld SA.Religiosity and mental health: A contribution to understanding the heterogeneity of research findings.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(2):494. doi:10.3390/ijerph17020494

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Tutzer F, Schurr T, Frajo-Apor B, et al.Relevance of spirituality and perceived social support to mental health of people with pre-existing mental health disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal investigation.Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2024;59(8):1437-1448. doi:10.1007/s00127-023-02590-1

Zhang J, Peng J, Gao P, et al.Relationship between meaning in life and death anxiety in the elderly: Self-esteem as a mediator.BMC Geriatr. 2019;19(1):308. doi:10.1186/s12877-019-1316-7

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Johnson KA.Prayer: A helpful aid in recovery from depression.J Relig Health. 2018;57(6):2290-2300. doi:10.1007/s10943-018-0564-8

Cozier YC, Yu J, Wise LA, et al.Religious and spiritual coping and risk of incident hypertension in the Black Women’s Health Study.Ann Behav Med. 2018;52(12):989-998. doi:10.1093/abm/kay001

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Mills PJ, Redwine L, Wilson K, et al.The role of gratitude in spiritual well-being in asymptomatic heart failure patients.Spiritual Clin Pract (Wash D C ). 2015;2(1):5-17. doi:10.1037/scp0000050

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At a Glance#

What Spirituality Looks Like#

Different Types of Spirituality#

Spirituality Is Diverse#

Spirituality vs. Religion: What’s the Difference?#

Reasons to Bring Spirituality Into Your Life#

Research-Backed Benefits of Spirituality#

How to Practice Spirituality#

Press Play for Advice on Being Human#

Takeaways#