Have you ever wondered what it is that makes you happy? 

According to a Pew Research study, many things can impact a person’s happiness. Family, friends, jobs, careers and schooling are a few aspects of a person’s life that can impact the happiness they feel. 

The study showed that faith, like the other examples, can play a large role in how a person not only views the life they live, but also how they feel about it as well. Faith can both positively and negatively impact a person’s perception of happiness but cannot be relied solely on to achieve happiness over the long term.

Psychiatrist Dr. Mark Blair, who specializes in treating patients dealing with severe depression, said that happiness is something most people experience in peaks and valleys. He explained that the larger the gap is between peaks, the higher chance the person is to experience depression. 

“Happiness is pretty complex because it can be so different based on a person and their perspective,” he said. “Generally, there can be depressed people that have fleeting moments of happiness… but even catching glimpses of happiness become less and less available to them.”

A study conducted by the Pew Research Center looked at religion’s relationship to happiness. The study looked at survey data from the United States along with two dozen other countries. 

It concluded that people who are active in their religious congregations tend to be happier and more engaged within their lives than people who are religiously unaffiliated.

“Whatever the explanation may be, more than one-third of actively religious U.S. adults (36%) describe themselves as very happy, compared with just a quarter of both inactive and unaffiliated Americans,” the study stated.

Catarina Lachmund, a senior analyst with the Happiness Research Institute, said her studies have shown an increase in reported happiness with participation in religious activities.

“People who are actively participating in church services are happier than people not having this sense of community,” Lachmund said.

She also said the most important ingredient for happiness is a strong social network.

“People attending services are more likely to participate in other activities and form a stronger social network, which is the most important ingredient for happiness,” she said.

Pastor David Morgan of Christ Fellowship Church believes that happiness does come from faith but more importantly how a person lives their faith.

“Simply showing up and going to church is not enough to make a person happy,” he said. “It‘s the equivalent of a student showing up to take an exam without any preparation. You can’t just show up to church once a week for an hour and expect to live a joy-filled life, you must work and prepare yourself outside the walls of a church.” 

Morgan said he sees many people from his congregation that are actively engaged in the church — meaning they regularly attend church services and social functions — tend to be happier than members who are less active. 

While being active and engaged in religion can help a person find happiness, what happens when a person does not know where to begin? Jordan Holmes said she experienced this when her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Holmes was in high school when her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and was not very religious as a child. As Holmes grew older, she became more engaged with her faith.

“I found that the more I was able to let my stress and pain go to God, the more peace and happiness I found in my life,” she said. “I also found that the community I had built by attending church regularly strengthened the hope I had that my mom would be okay and that my family and I would be taken care of no matter what.” 

Holmes also credited a moment she shared with her pastor that she said helped her learn to find small amounts of happiness in the direst of situations. 

In an interview with the American Psychological Association, Dr. Kenneth Pargament said that for many people, attending and practicing religion can help facilitate growth in their life, as well as help solve problems that a person may be dealing with or going through. 

Pastor Morgan believes that for anyone to find happiness in religion, they must feel a connection to that religion.

“It’s just like picking a sport or joining a club, you must be interested in it first to make you want to go. Forcing yourself to be there is doing little to no service for you and your outlook on the world and life,” Morgan said. “Find a religion or church that has similar values and morals as you do, and you will find a home that you can go back to for the rest of your life.” 

Luke Gehm is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].