53% of Mexicans have a tendency towards spirituality, how does this affect their mental well-being?
Spiritual life, religion and the willingness to give love and help to others are the factors that this study analyzes in the impact on mental well-being. How is Mexico in this regard?
Mexico, July 2024 – How closely are religion and spirituality related to mental well-being in Latin America and what is responsible for that relationship? A recent study by Sapien Labs revealed how religion and spirituality influence the lives of Latin Americans, placing the continent and Colombia in a very high position compared to other first world regions.
The study, titled “Mental well-being, religion and the love you give,” surveyed 239,692 individuals with internet access in more than 60 countries, with different customs, cultures and beliefs, using an assessment called Mental Health Quotient (MHQ). its acronym in English), which evaluates 47 aspects of feelings and mental functions that are combined into an overall score of mental well-being.
Although it was not surprising that religion and spirituality were associated with better mental well-being, what was most interesting was that the impact of religion and spirituality was mainly due to greater love and care for the well-being of others, increased by active religious practice.
Religion, love and mental well-being in Mexico
Mexico obtained 80.04% on its HMQ scale, which indicates a high level of mental well-being, compared to its also high indicators of love, spirituality and religiosity.
Love of the community: 62.80% of Mexicans have the capacity to love beyond their closest circle, compared to 28.33% of those who only love their family and friends, and contrasted with 8.87% who declare not to love almost no one.
Spirituality: Mexicans with a tendency towards spirituality reach 53.95%, compared to 23.81% of agnostics and only 22.24% who represent atheism.
Religion: 72.97% of the Mexican population declares they identify with some religion and 30.80% are active practitioners.
It is worth noting that atheism does not imply that there is no love and care for the well-being of the wider community, just as spirituality does not guarantee this either.
For these results, 11,845 Mexicans with Internet access, from different regions, customs and beliefs, were surveyed.
Findings on religion, love and mental well-being
The Sapien Labs study highlights the fact of professing love and care for others, as well as the positive aspects of living in a more spiritual way—without entering into religious discussions—as an act that benefits people’s mental well-being, since it understands the “religious practice” as that activity associated with belief, regardless of what it is, and which is opposite to the simple fact of not believing in anything.
On the one hand, having religious beliefs or being more spiritual helps to reduce depressive symptoms and suicidal tendencies, contributes to reducing alcohol and substance consumption, and helps to cope better with adverse moments.
When it comes to the ability to love and care for others, studies support the benefits in terms of psychological and physical well-being. It helps reduce depression, enhances social connections, the sense of belonging and strengthens social bonds, which are essential for every human being.
Tara Thiagarajan, PhD. Founder and Chief Scientist of Sapien Labs, she notes that spirituality is associated with a greater degree of love and care for others, while atheists are five times more likely to not love or care for others.
“Regardless of religion, active religious practice is associated with greater spirituality and, in turn, with greater love for others,” the expert details. “However, most importantly, the increases in mental well-being associated with greater love and care for others are almost the same whether you are an atheist, agnostic or spiritual, whether you actively practice a religion or not.” “You are associated with none.”
General conclusions of the study: Latin America leads in love for others
Latin America is in the highest place, not only in terms of religious activity and spirituality, but also in the tendency to provide love and care to other people beyond friends and family (66% on average), very distant from other countries from Europe and Oceania, which are at 45% and 43% respectively.
In this way, the panorama revealed by the study highlights the following:
• Those who are spiritual love and care for the well-being of a wider circle of people, while those who are atheists are five times more likely to love no one.
• The increase in mental well-being gained through spirituality arises from increased feelings of love and care for others, and spirituality without love and care for others has no benefits for mental well-being.
• Active religious practice is associated with a higher likelihood of spirituality and love for others, regardless of religious affiliation.
• The most religious regions of the world have greater love for others, led by Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Europe and Oceania have the least love for others, with the United Kingdom and Germany having the lowest levels among all countries from which data was collected.
