Study: Congregants happier with good friends in pews

Close friendships among churchgoers, rather than theology, seem to be
the key to happiness among religious people, according to a new study.

One-third
of Americans who attend religious services weekly and have three to
five close friends in the congregation said they are "extremely
satisfied" with their lives. In comparison, only one in five Americans
who attend services weekly but have no close friends in the congregation
say they are extremely satisfied.

"In short, 'sitting alone in
the pew' does not enhance one's life satisfaction," conclude authors
Chaeyoon Lim of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Robert D. Putnam
of Harvard University in a December article in American Sociological
Review.