When God is your only friend
Religious beliefs compensate for purpose in life in the socially disconnected
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19280974 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Todd Chan (0000-0002-4015-8510, University of Michigan, corresponding author), Nicholas M Michalak (0000-0001-9122-7291, University of Michigan), Oscar Ybarra (0000-0002-0268-3242, University of Michigan) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 87 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 455-471 |
| Publication date | 2019-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Personality (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-3506 • E-ISSN: 1467-6494 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/jopy.12401 |
| PMID | 30079518 |
| OpenAlex | W2885895513 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 17 |
| References cited | 61 |
OBJECTIVE: Social relationships supply purpose to life. How can socially disconnected people, who show lower levels of purpose, compensate for purpose in life? We propose that religious beliefs can compensate for the purpose in life that social relationships would otherwise provide, through providing (a) greater purpose to turn to and (b) divine figures that can substitute for social relationships. METHOD: In three studies, we analyze three nationally representative and longitudinal data sets (N = 19,775) using moderated regression and cross-lagged panel analyses. RESULTS: Consistent with our hypotheses, religious beliefs were of minimal influence on purpose in life for socially connected individuals, who already held higher levels of purpose than socially disconnected individuals. However, for socially disconnected individuals, being highly religious predicted higher levels of purpose in life. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that although people primarily derive purpose from social relationships, socially disconnected individuals may leverage their religious beliefs for purpose and social comfort until they can reconnect
Purpose in life · Cultural Differences and Values · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social Psychology
Purpose in Life
Does Religion Mitigate the Effect of Neighborhood Disorder on Cognitive Decline
Impacts of Covid-19 and social isolation on academic staff and students at universities
Reflection on Religion’s Role in Society
With You Until the End of the Age? A Longitudinal Study of Changes in Religiosity and Loneliness in Later Life
Discovering Grace at the Table? Prayers at Mealtime, Marital Status, and Life Satisfaction in Later Life
Supplemental Material for Intrinsic Religiosity Attenuates the Negative Relationship Between Social Disconnectedness and Meaning in Life
In the absence of marriage
The Effect of Thinking about Being Excluded by God on Well-Being
Social Distancing as a Recontextualization of Filipino Values and Catholic Religious Practices
Positive Effects of Religion and Social Ties on the Health of Former NFL Athletes
Religiosity and sense of purpose among older adults
Religion as a Resource? The Impact of Religiosity on the Sense of Purpose in Life of Young Muslim Refugees in Germany
A Cross-cultural Study On the Association Between Societal Conditions and the Idealization of Happiness
Purpose, Spirituality and Moderate Secularism
Spirituality and Well-Being
How Consistency in Closeness to God Predicts Psychological Resources and Life Satisfaction
Longitudinal study of social support and meaning in life.
Turning to God in the Face of Ostracism
Purpose in Life as a Predictor of Mortality Across Adulthood
Meaning in life across the life span
Compensatory Control
Meaning in Life
Meaning and Purpose in Life and Well-being
Creating Social Connection Through Inferential Reproduction
The Contours of Positive Human Health
Purpose in Life as a System that Creates and Sustains Health and Well-Being
To Belong Is to Matter
Religion as Attachment
When We Need A Human
Creating and maintaining purpose in life in old age
The three meanings of meaning in life
Religious Belief as Compensatory Control
The Anatomy of Friendship
Religious and nonreligious coping with the death of a friend
The Anatomy of Loneliness
The clinical significance of loneliness
On seeing human
Social Relationships and Mortality Risk
Loneliness Matters
Social Relationships and Health
Ucla Loneliness Scale (Version 3)
The sacred canopy
A Relationship With God? Connecting with the Divine to Assuage Fears of Interpersonal Rejection
Evidence for Another Response to Ostracism
The Need to Belong Can Motivate Belief in God
Social Ties and Mental Health
Evaluating the Stress-Buffering Function of Meaning in Life Among Older People
Stressors Arising in Highly Valued Roles, Meaning in Life, and the Physical Health Status of Older Adults
Religious Meaning and Subjective Well-Being in Late Life
Meaning in Life and Mortality
Religion-as-Schema, With Implications for the Relation Between Religion and Coping
Religiosity, Adult Attachment, and Why "Singles" are More Religious
Religious commitment and positive mood as information about meaning in life
Religion as a Meaning‐Making Framework in Coping with Life Stress
God and the government
Scientific faith
Alone and without purpose
Contingencies of Self-Worth in College Students
The structure of psychological well-being revisited
Two Decades of Terror Management Theory
Social Identity, Health and Well-Being
On the relation between meaning in life and psychological well-being
The need to belong
When small effects are impressive
Loneliness, Social Support, and Perceived Relationships with God
Social Support and Strain from Partner, Family, and Friends
Divine Relations, Social Relations, and Well-Being
| Unique citing works | 17 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,83 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2025 (6) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 16 |