If you were in possession of documents or artifacts that had to be preserved at all costs, and you were inhabiting a planet with an uncertain future, where would you hide these precious commodities?
Deep underground in a protective bunker? Fathoms under the ocean? Inside a mountain in a secret cave? Preserved within the ice of the polar regions?
Well, the answer is…none of the above.
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A recent study has indicated that the practice of regular spiritual activity can help alleviate and protect against depression.
The study, which was published online by JAMA Psychiatry, showed that a thickening of the brain cortex was associated with regular meditation or other spiritual or religious practice, and could be the reason why those activities guard against depression – particularly in people who are predisposed to the disease, according to new research led by Lisa Miller, professor and director of Clinical Psychology and director of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University.
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Most Americans are religious–just not all in the same way. An international study of holiday shopping and religion finds that dominant religious groups are likely to experience discomfort at all the "consumption mass hysteria" they encounter in shopping malls, while shoppers who are part of minority religions may see them more central meeting places that can play an active role in the creation of a sacred event.
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A strict religious upbringing may cause obsessive-compulsive disorder. This was discovered by Claudio Sica at the University of Parma in Italy who surveyed devout Catholics and found they were more likely to have symptoms of this disease than less religious people.
Patients with OCD become caught up in repetitive mental cycles. They have to have to wash the dishes thoroughly before putting them in the diswasher. They may be convinced that everything around them is filthy, and spend eight hours a day cleaning. They may obsessively wash their hands, like Lady MacBeth.
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