| Godless Happiness The popular stereotype of an atheist is of an unhappy, anxious person, hostile and unable to cope with life's tribulations. One thing that has consistently impressed me, however, is how well-adjusted, upbeat, and easy-to-get-along-with the atheists I have known have been. At one time I unquestioningly accepted the idea that atheism took a toll on a person's emotional health, but my experiences have caused me to doubt that. And not to brag, but I find I am fairly happy and well liked myself. Of course I'm biased, but it has seemed to me for some time that atheists are, if anything, even a little more mentally healthy on average than religious people. A scientific study performed in Germany, the first study of it's kind, suggests that my impression may be right. [Note: I haven't been able to find any information in English on the net about this study. If you know any sites with more info, please let me know.] The study was reported in Vol. 20, #4 of Free Inquiry (the Fall 2000 issue) by Franz Buggle, Dorothee Bister, Gisela Nohe, Wolfgang Schneider, and Karl Uhmann. The study looked at both Christians and atheists who were originally Christians. The people were grouped into categories based on their religious views, and their susceptibility to depression was rated using Beck's Depression Index (BDI.) The higher the score, the more susceptible to depression the subject is. Unlike a number of earlier, less responsible studies, this one did not lump determined atheists together with wavering atheists and the slightly religious. The least happy people were the "slightly religious", with a BDI rating of 6.0. The "moderately religious" were a bit happier at 4.0, and the "strictly religious" were happier still at 3.4. Finally, the "determined atheists" were happiest of all, at 3.2. Also, 90% of the atheists reported that they enjoyed life more after abandoning religion. I find this particularly interesting since there is so much prejudice against atheists, and atheist organizations are generally smaller and harder to find than Christian organizations. They therefore cannot provide as much social support. Even if all other things were equal one would expect atheists to have poorer mental health for purely social reasons. Of course atheism is considerably more popular in Germany than in the U.S., so that may not be as much of a factor in this case. The authors of the study suggest that two factors contributing to the improved mental health of atheists are healthier sexual attitudes and, for women, liberation from restrictive gender roles. It is notable that among the atheists there was no significant difference between the BDI values for men and women, while among the general population women are much more likely to suffer from depression. I suspect that the emphasis the atheist tradition places on being reasonable also plays a role. Atheism may better prepare a person to face problems head-on and deal with them logically, so that atheists may better deal with day-to-day stresses and approach life more constructively. Another point from the study worth mentioning is that 74% of the atheists reported that their first doubts about Christianity were raised by religious doctrines, rather than by any bad experiences. This is again consistent with my experience. Even though atheism is quite conducive to inner harmony, people tend to become atheists for rational reasons rather than emotional ones. The enhanced sense of meaning and self-worth that often follows is simply a bonus. Also, 79% of atheists reported that after leaving religion, the question of God never once came up again, even in desperate circumstances. Once more, this is consistent with my own experience. For a person who genuinely accepts the atheist viewpoint religious beliefs simply have nothing to offer. Of course this is just one preliminary study, so these results cannot be taken (if you will pardon the expression) as Gospel. More research needs to be done. But it is heartening that someone has finally made an attempt to responsibly study of the relative mental health of atheists and the religious. It is also encouraging that the study's results are consistent with the suspicions that my experiences as a member of the atheist community have led me to. For more on what it means to be "happy" and how we can get more satisfaction out of life, see psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's work on the concept of "flow." Here are a few good sites on the subject: Godless Happiness: What's Faith Got to Do With It? This article was written before the study by Buggle et al was performed, so the author would likely write it differently now. The article is still worth reading, though. Flow: The Optimal Experience Flow: What's Worth Living For? Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Quotes For more on these subjects, see Basic Issues Relating to Atheism and Atheist Spirituality on my main atheism page. Back to My Essays |