Prayer while spiritual in nature encompasses the entirety of the human person. Body, mind and soul is engaged with a higher being. It is only reasonable then that empirical and definable psychological benefits can be observed from those who pray versus those who do not pray. Prayer has many mental benefits that go beyond a mere spiritual reality. Prayer strengthens the mind because it places faith in a higher being. It allows one to be less stressed, less worried, and feel that there is order in the chaos. The re-assurance of prayer, the confidence it instills, and the peace it can give to stress, are all huge benefits to the spiritual community.
The article, “The psychological benefits of prayer: What science says about the mind-soul connection” by Kristen Rogers looks at what science observes regarding the emotional and mental states of spiritual people. The article states,
“Science is about testing observable relationships, processes and mechanisms,” Masters said. “But almost by definition, prayer, as operationalized in these studies, invokes involvement of God or a higher being, something outside the boundaries of natural phenomenon, which science cannot really study. Science can, however, study the outcomes of the belief in God rather than the existence — such a study might ask whether people who believe strongly in God report a better quality of life than people who do not believe in God.”
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