The Relationship Between Religiosity and Mental Health

In this article, we aim to present a scientific finding that we, as researchers in the psychology of religion, identified years ago and decided to investigate further. This observation, supported by numerous field studies, examines the relationship between religiosity and mental health, a topic that connects the fields of religion and psychology.

God-Centeredness vs. Other-Centeredness: Implications for Psychological Well-Being

One significant insight from research in psychiatry and psychology is that one of the primary contributors to psychiatric disorders is “other people.” More precisely, it is our perceptions of how others judge and evaluate us. Here, we exclude psychiatric disorders that are entirely genetic or biologically based, as these can manifest independently of life experiences or events. Such conditions, accounting for 35–40% of cases, may arise unexpectedly, without a traumatic experience or adverse event. On the other hand, a considerable portion of psychological states—whether they involve disorders or not—is shaped by our experiences and the cognitions, whether explicit or implicit, that we develop in response to them.

Humans are inherently designed to coexist with others, and as a result, the tendency to live in isolation is generally considered unusual. Our relationships with other people strongly influence both our perspective on life and our self-judgments. Setting aside genetic inheritance, the mental image we form of others significantly affects the value we assign to ourselves. In other words, one of the key determinants of our most important psychological assets—self-confidence and self-esteem—is the “other people” factor.

Psychologists, of course, do not overlook the influence of external factors, but they also emphasize the impact of our attitudes toward them. For instance, the people we encounter throughout life, starting with our parents, play a critical role in shaping how much we love ourselves. However, we also make choices—consciously or unconsciously—about our judgments. Otherwise, we would not observe individuals who manage to maintain their mental balance and cognitive processes despite enduring various challenges and difficulties.

Although other living beings and natural disasters can also challenge us psychologically, the most common cause of psychological issues, particularly anxiety disorders, stems from the perceptions and emotions evoked by our relationships with others. Among the leading causes of depression, panic disorders, obsessions, social anxiety, somatoform disorders, and many personality disorders, the human factor is consistently ranked at the top. If we have had destructive and traumatic experiences with others, it is highly likely that we will develop dysfunctional schemas about ourselves and life. These schemas may manifest as psychiatric disorders and contribute to the development of numerous negative personality traits, such as perfectionism, dependency, shyness, narcissism, passivity, cowardice, aggression, maladjustment, and hypersensitivity.

We define the influence of other people’s opinions about us as “other-centered externality.” The level of concern we feel about being disapproved of, criticized, condemned, hurt, or disliked by others determines our degree of other-centered externality. For example, statements such as, “It is very important for me to be liked by others,” “I cannot easily recover from the impact of an argument with someone,” “Hearing my mistakes pointed out, even if justified, hurts me,” “I lack the courage to express disagreement with others on any issue,” and “I worry about what people will say when I do something” reflect the extent to which this orientation applies to us. The more these statements resonate with us, the higher our level of other-centeredness.

We will share our research findings on the psychological effects of this orientation. But first, let us introduce another orientation we consider to be healthier: God-centeredness. This orientation, which refers to the degree to which we consider God’s pleasure in our words and actions, is largely the opposite of other-centered externality. In other words, as an individual’s level of God-centeredness increases, their level of other-centeredness tends to decrease.

We can determine the extent of a person’s God-centeredness through their responses to statements like, “I prioritize seeking God’s pleasure in what I do,” “My belief in being accountable to God prevents me from doing many things my ego desires,” and “If my clothing aligns with God’s commands, I don’t care what others think.” The more individuals agree with such statements, the higher their level of God-centeredness.

Based on the belief that other-centeredness negatively affects psychology while God-centeredness has a positive impact, we developed two separate scales to measure these orientations and seek scientific evidence for this hypothesis. If our research confirmed the hypothesis, it would add new findings to the existing literature on the positive effects of religion on human psychology, providing a more comprehensive and explanatory perspective by incorporating the human dimension into the equation.

Indeed, using the God-centeredness and other-centeredness scales, we conducted over ten field studies examining the relationships between these orientations and variables such as the “cognitive triad” (negative perceptions of life, self, and the future), “dependent personality,” “histrionic personality” (a persistent psychiatric condition characterized by attention-seeking behaviors and exaggerated emotional expressions), “narcissism,” “anxiety and worry,” “depression,” and “somatization” (a psychiatric disorder where psychological problems manifest as artificial physical pain over time). The results consistently supported our hypothesis: as levels of other-centered externality increased, these psychological problems also increased, while higher levels of God-centeredness correlated with a statistically significant decrease in these issues.

We believe the message from these groundbreaking research findings is clear. A person may not be born with strong psychological resilience or may have experienced a less-than-ideal childhood, which could lead to some loss of psychological balance or deterioration. However, it should be understood that the more one prioritizes the opinions and attitudes of others, the greater the psychological challenges will become. In a sense, the “idol of others” they build and nurture within themselves, often unconsciously, will perpetually have a negative influence.

In contrast, if one centers their thoughts and emotions around God, valuing the pleasure of the Almighty Creator above all else, their psychological resilience will increase, and they will gain resistance against destabilizing factors. This approach aligns with what is most natural to human nature. While we cannot claim that religiosity and God-centeredness will solve all problems, we assert that they significantly rehabilitate individuals.

Is it possible to reduce the other-centeredness we accumulate like a capital throughout our lives? Absolutely—through belief in one’s ability to change, a desire to take action, consistent effort, and perseverance, it can be achieved!