Religion helps self-control, study says

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Self-control is critical for success in life, and a new study by University of Miami professor of Psychology Michael McCullough finds that religious people have more self-control than do their less religious counterparts. These findings imply that religious people may be better at pursuing and achieving long-term goals that are important to them and their religious groups. This, in turn, might help explain why religious people tend to have lower rates of substance abuse, better school achievement, less delinquency, better health behaviors, less depression, and longer lives.
In this research project, McCullough evaluated 8 decades worth of research on religion, which has been conducted in diverse samples of people from around the world. He found persuasive evidence from a variety of domains within the social sciences, including neuroscience, economics, psychology, and sociology, that religious beliefs and religious behaviors are capable of encouraging people to exercise self-control and to more effectively regulate their emotions and behaviors, so that they can pursue valued goals. The research paper, which summarizes the results of their review of the existing science, will be published in the January 2009 issue of Psychological Bulletin.
“The importance of self-control and self-regulation for understanding human behavior are well known to social scientists, but the possibility that the links of religiosity to self-control might explain the links of religiosity to health and behavior has not received much explicit attention,” said McCullough. “We hope our paper will correct this oversight in the scientific literature.” Among the most interesting conclusions that the research team drew were the following:

Religious rituals such as prayer and meditation affect the parts of the human brain that are most important for self-regulation and self-control;

When people view their goals as “sacred,” they put more energy and effort into pursuing those goals, and therefore, are probably more effective at attaining them;

Religious lifestyles may contribute to self-control by providing people with clear standards for their behavior, by causing people to monitor their own behavior more closely, and by giving people the sense that God is watching their behavior;

The fact that religious people tend to be higher in self-control helps explain why religious people are less likely to misuse drugs and alcohol and experience problems with crime and delinquency.

McCullough’s review of the research on religion and self-control contributes to a better understanding of “how the same social force that motivates acts of charity and generosity can also motivate people to strap bomb belts around their waists and then blow themselves up in crowded city buses,” he explained. “By thinking of religion as a social force that provides people with resources for controlling their impulses (including the impulse for self-preservation, in some cases) in the service of higher goals, religion can motivate people to do just about anything.”
Among the study’s more practical implications is that religious people may have at their disposal a set of unique psychological resources for adhering to their New Year’s Resolutions in the year to come.
You can read more about McCullough's study at The New York Times.

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Make the most of New Year's Eve alone

If you’re spending the last night of the year alone, Ella Fitzgerald’s romantic query, “What are you doing New Year’s Eve?” might seem more like mockery. The great news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. Being alone on New Year’s Eve can be as enjoyable as being at the best of parties. Here are some ideas for making the most of your night alone.
1. Serve yourself your favorite dinner, whether you cook it or order out. Eat by candlelight. Use the good china. Play your favorite music. In short, make a dinner date with yourself.
2. Do you have friends or family who are too far away to share the evening with you? Call them on a group call, or set up a private online chat room.
3. Use the evening to treat yourself to your favorite pursuits. An all-night movie marathon for film buffs, for instance.
4. Go online and join a chat. Being able to connect with others, even if not in person, can fulfill your social yearnings.
5. If you’re in the mood for contemplation, use part of your evening to reflect on the outgoing year and what you hope to achieve in the coming one. Make notes and list goals.
Finally, whatever you do on New Year’s Eve, make the most of it because midnight will be here and gone before you know it!
PHOTO: Zsuzsanna Kilián
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Ten steps to successful New Year’s resolutions

As 2009 approaches, many of us will make New Year's resolutions and hope we can stick with them past January 2. If you are making a resolution this year, here are some of my tips for making the process a successful rather than frustrating one.

1. Pick one thing to change. Making too many resolutions will set you up for failure.
   
2. Avoid making previously failed resolutions, if at all possible.
   
3. Decide to do something that you feel is important. Thinking you should make a change won't give you the necessary commitment.
   
4. Make your resolution realistic. Trying to lose 50 pounds in the next two months is probably not going to happen. Aiming to lose 50 pounds in 2009 and breaking it down into smaller goals on a calendar can set you up for success.
   
5. Write your resolutions on paper. Committing your resolution to print can increase your determination.
   
6. Tell everyone in your support network. Enlist their aid in meeting your goals. You could even write a check to a loved one they can cash if you fail to keep your resolution.
   
7. Post your goal online at a site like Pledgehammer.com for extra support.
   
8. Plan for problems. What will you do when obstacles arise, as they surely will. Have a plan of action in place for these moments.
   
9. Visualize success. Each night before going to bed, imagine achieving your goal in as much detail as possible. If you want to lose weight, imagine how that would fee, what you would look like and so forth.
   
10. Reward yourself for each tiny step forward. If you're trying to quit smoking, reward yourself each time you resist temptation.
    

Using these 10 steps, you should be well on your way to a happy new year!

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