Thriving Through Faith: A Guide for Young People

Download Report PDF

Have you ever wondered if faith could make a difference in your life? In recent years, religion has become less central in many people’s lives in America. The influence that religion once had on daily life is not as strong as it used to be. As fewer people participate in religious activities, many now look to things like popular culture, science, or politics to shape their identity and values.

Because of this change, it’s important to look closely at how religion affects a young person’s well-being—mind, body, relationships, and learning. The information in this guide comes from research by the Wheatley Institute, which studied thousands of studies and collected results from the Handbook of Religion and Health published by Oxford University Press. The Handbook reviews thousands of studies examining the relationship between religion and mental, physical, and social well-being. Wheatley Institute researchers analyzed the results. The research shows that being involved in religion is linked to much stronger family and community relationships, better mental health, and better physical health.

People sometimes overlook religion, but research suggests that faith can be an important source to grow in life and be well. Many people find that their faith helps them face tough times in their personal and social lives. Learning about these findings is not the same as teaching or practicing a religion: even though public schools and the government can’t support any one faith, it’s useful and important to learn what research says about religion. The evidence shows that faith is not a cure for every problem, but most research says the good things faith brings outweigh the bad. In general, research finds that people who practice their faith often have better lives in various ways.

One person who experienced the strong benefits of faith is a writer named Wajahat Ali. After getting a phone call from his wife with terrible news—his two-year-old daughter had cancer—he turned to his Islamic faith. He asked God for answers and even wished he could take his daughter’s place. He learned that faith is not just about believing, but also about taking action. Every time he prayed, he ended with the words “God willing.” His faith didn’t cure his daughter or take away his fear, but it helped him keep going. Sometimes, faith can’t fix everything, but it can give people the strength to move forward during difficult times.

Wajahat’s story is just one example. This guide will show how faith connects to better mental, physical, and social health, using research and real stories from people whose lives changed because of faith. These real-life examples help explain the research. The main idea is simple: many people who choose to practice their faith find it improves their lives.

The numbers come from high-quality studies showing that across mental health, physical health, and relationships, being involved with a faith community is associated with more positive outcomes more often than negative ones. For instance, a Harvard study that followed more than 74,000 women for 16 years found that those who attended religious services more than once a week were 33% less likely to die during the study than those who never attended.

Faith can change the direction of a person’s life, giving them new goals and making life feel more meaningful. Recent polls show that young men are starting to see religion as more important. For example, a Gallup survey found that the share of men under 30 who say religion is very important rose from 28% in 2022–23 to 42% in 2024–25.5 One young man, Mason Gubser, realized that his life revolved around his phone. He found all his
entertainment at his fingertips through scrolling but still felt empty. That’s when he went out to look for “something that felt holy.”5 The Catholic center at Texas A&M helped him find a new way to see life and found a stronger sense of purpose through Catholicism.

The Wheatley report acknowledges that there are harmful forms of religion, but the overall pattern shows religious faith is often linked to positive emotional and mental well-being. The benefits are often strongest for those who engage in regular and consistent religious practices.

Religious teachings can help improve physical health as well. Believing in something bigger than yourself can inspire you to get fit so you can participate in your community and help others. Many religions teach that your body is important and should be taken care of. This idea can encourage people to practice good habits and stay healthy. For people who have been through tough experiences growing up, or who have weaker immune systems, religion can help them feel better and cope with hard experiences. Studies show a positive link between living longer and being religious. Research also shows that being highly involved in religion is linked to many benefits for physical health.

Faith can help you stay healthy by giving you a sense of purpose. That sense of purpose can help you want to choose healthy habits and avoid things that are bad for you. The sacredness of the body discourages harmful behaviors like smoking. Having friends and being part of a community can also help reduce stress. Faith is not a replacement for going to the doctor, of course, but paired with regular medicine, it can help people live longer and feel better.

To achieve the benefits of faith for physical health, consistency is key. It’s not about a one-day commitment— it’s ongoing. There is power in consistency, and Gloria Espada’s life shows this. Espada struggled with substance abuse for forty-two years. She tried to make changes in her life, but nothing ever stuck. She’d decide to become substance-free, then relapse. One night, while looking for a pub, she found a Pentecostal church instead. She was immediately greeted with a hug, and as she walked in, she said, “I could feel that God was telling me: ‘You’re in the right place.” Through this experience, she found faith and a new purpose. Now, she always carries a few extra dollars when riding the subway because she knows what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes, and she enjoys serving others. It took believing in God to believe in herself. Her faith led her to improve physically, and now she is able to live her life fully.

Faith helps people feel connected and encourages them to help and spend time with others. A 2025 study using Global Flourishing Study data from more than 180,000 people across 22 countries and five major world religions found that Christians, Muslims, and Jews reported feeling less lonely than nonreligious people. Most of the studies show that religion and social health go together in a positive way.

Faith can also bring together people who believe different things. One woman spent years worried about being Jewish in a small Christian town in Southwest Virginia. One of her children came home from school talking about Jesus, and it made her angry. She did not think religion belonged in a classroom.

Forty years later, she says she feels at home there. Her neighbors came to know her family’s Jewish faith. They asked her about it and made room for it. Over time she came to see that what she shared with them was faith itself, even though they believed different things. Talking openly about religion is what built that community. Respecting what someone else believes can bring people closer, even when their beliefs differ.

The relationships and study habits you build in a faith community can also help you in school. No matter the faith tradition, going to and taking part in a mosque, church, temple, synagogue, gurdwara, or another house of worship is linked to better academic performance. One study found that GPAs of religious students were higher than non-religious students.

Many of these academic benefits come from the friendships and social relationships built through religious activity. Faith organizations connect students to adult mentors and peer groups that encourage them to try hard in school and avoid harmful behaviors like using drugs. Faith communities often offer after-school tutoring, mentoring, and help preparing for college, while also getting parents more involved — something research shows leads to better educational outcomes.

These relationships help students from working-class families the most. Daniel, a first-generation college student, said church played a big role in his success in high school. “Growing up my mom always took me and my sister to church and she always involved us in youth groups [and] Sunday school,” he explained. Going to church, Daniel said, connected him to friends whose parents had gone to college—and to their knowledge and resources. This helped him build confidence and learn what he needed to know to succeed in college.

The Pew Research Center conducted a study called “Religion’s Relationship to Happiness, Civic Engagement, and Health Around the World.” They analyzed survey data from the United States and more than two dozen other countries. The study found that people who are active in a religion tend to be happier and more involved in their communities. This chart shows some of these important findings.

Researchers also found what they call a “threshold effect.” This means that people who only practice their religion once in a while don’t get as many benefits from it. Clear advantages show up when people take part regularly—praying, learning, or being active in their community. Studies often find stronger connections for people who are involved regularly than for those who only participate sometimes. In other words, just saying you belong to a religion doesn’t seem to have the same effects as actually practicing your religion often.

When people have healthy habits, both their body and mind feel better. Having a strong family can help lower stress and keep everyone healthier. Choosing to live with hope and meaning can make it easier to take care of yourself and feel close to others. Faith can help all these parts at the same time. But sometimes, a person needs medical care, counseling, or help from an expert for problems with their body, mind, or family. Faith is not a replacement for this kind of treatment—research shows that, paired with care from experts, faith can help people get through tough times.

Throughout this guide, you may find yourself thinking about how faith influences you in your life. Whether you grew up with religion and moved away from it, never experienced it, or practice weekly, there are always ways to consider how faith fits into your life. You might have a faith background you aren’t aware of, or one you could explore further. Learning about it can help you connect to those who came before you or give you a stronger sense
of who you are. If you aren’t sure about your family or history, maybe there are faith communities in your neighborhood or stories from people you see every day. Consider asking a family member or someone close to you. Even if someone has fallen away from religion or never practiced, there’s always a story to tell and something more to learn. Your friends, parents, grandparents or guardians may all have some connection to religion.

Whatever journey you are on or have been on, we hope this guide shows you what research finds about how faith can help people change and grow. Whether you want to learn more about how religion fits into your life or learn from those around you, these conversations can help carry you through whatever you navigate.

1. Which of the areas discussed feels relevant to you at this moment, and why?

2. Research suggests that regular religious involvement is often associated with stronger benefits. What are small steps you can take in your daily life to learn or benefit from faith?

3. Wajahat’s story (see paragraph 4) shows that an individual’s faith helped him get through trials. What thoughts or moments would you like faith to help you get through?

4. Studies show that faith coincides with less loneliness and an increase in support. Who in your life or community could you reach out to for support or to learn more about a faith community?

It doesn’t matter where you start with faith. You do not need a perfect past or a sudden conversion story. People every day face the same questions and thoughts that you do about where religion fits into their lives.
This guide shows that religious involvement is associated with hope, support, meaning, connection, and well-being. Whatever you believe in or are searching for, faith won’t make problems disappear, but it can give you hope. After reading this guide, you may want to learn more—by asking questions, talking with someone you trust, visiting a faith community, or exploring practices like prayer.