DIVINE INTERVENTION

Although our churches may be closed as we go to press, we have cheering news for when they open their doors again. Whether it’s the singing of hymns with gusto, the companionship of the congregation or the reassurance of prayer, going to church could help you live longer – or so says Marino Bruce, a professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Bruce collected data on over 5,000 people and with his team came up with a statistical model to predict the risk of mortality based on church attendance. Risk fell by 55% in those who attended services of worship, with those between the ages of 40 and 65 benefiting the most. The results were the same across all faiths. Too blessed to be stressed? There might just be some truth in it.