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SALT LAKE CITY — A person’s spirituality is tied to their well-being, and a Utah-based organization is studying that connection further.
This was announced by the organization “Radiant Foundation.” detailed report As part of the Wellbeing Forum, he spoke on faith and health at Gallup’s headquarters in London on Monday. Also featured was research on the foundation’s mental health app called Skylight, which is designed to include spirituality as a mental health resource.
Skylight Executive Director John Dye said there was a lot of interest in their presentation at the forum. He said people were particularly interested in data showing that using Skylight reduced anxiety, known as the “gateway feeling” of sleep deprivation and loneliness. Dai said people between the ages of 18 and 35 spend more than four hours a day on their phones, adding that data shows much of that time is harmful to mental health. .
The app is similar to applications like Headspace and Calm, but Skylight “comes in through a different door”: spiritual wellness, he said. There are a lot of references to higher powers in the app, but no mention of a specific higher power.
“Cracking the code of anxiety is one of the important things to show. …More research needs to be done, but this is definitely something that will make some progress in this generation’s mental health illness.” This is the way we can do it,” Dai said.
faith and health
The report, titled “Faith and Health: The Global Connection between Spirituality and Well-Being,” examines more than a decade of Gallup World Poll data, including interviews with 1.47 million people in 140 countries. are doing. The report concludes that there is a “strong link” between religiosity, the importance of religion in everyday life, and both mental and physical health.
Ilana Ron Levey, managing director at Gallup, said the report joins a growing body of research showing that people with stronger spirituality and faith have better mental health. Ta.
“Many people may not fully understand the positive impact that spiritual living and practices can have on their physical and mental health. This research shows that spirituality and well-being across countries and regions “This further reveals the complex interactions between the .
The study found that people who valued their religion were more likely to be involved in community and volunteer work, and more likely to have someone they could turn to in times of need.
“We are facing a global mental health crisis and we cannot afford to overlook any aspect of life or activity that can improve well-being,” said Aaron Sherinian, CEO of Radiant Foundation.
The study showed that spirituality improves overall well-being, but the opposite trend was seen in the UK and several other European countries. In the UK, people who reported being religious were less likely to report good mental health, and in many parts of Europe, being religious had a negative impact on physical health.
Professor Dye said that while he had not yet conducted additional research into the reasons for the difference, religion seemed to have a more positive impact on health in less wealthy countries.
Mental health care readily available
Skylight is a free social media app It was designed by the Radiant Foundation, part of KSL’s parent company, Deseret Management Corporation. Dye said there are about 500,000 registered users and 2 million regular users. On average, users spend about 10 minutes in each session on the app, he said.
Jen Huberty, who completed research on the social media app Skylight, said the developers chose to use the word “spiritual” rather than “religious” because it was more inclusive and “interfaith.” This is because it can be applied.
Gen Z and younger millennials are sometimes perceived as less religious, but they are often spiritual and form their own ideas and beliefs, she said. Huberty said most people in these generations live in a “digital world” that is often associated with negative effects on mental health, but this app taps into that to improve mental health, she said. Stated.
Huberty explained that Skylight is broader than most mental health apps, using affirmations, meditation, nature walks, and prayer to assist users.
Although the app has been successful and has been shown to have significantly lower anxiety scores in people who use it three or more times a week, the foundation has not yet compared its effectiveness to other mental health applications.
Professor Dai said the study focused on the younger generation, who are more susceptible to mental health issues, adding that he wanted to help people between the ages of 18 and 35 connect with God. Ta. He added that this is because they believe that their relationship with a higher power will help.
While he recognizes that people still need therapy, medication, and exercise for their mental health, he believes that a few minutes of connecting with God can make people more resilient to daily challenges. said.
By the end of this decade, Gen Z and Millennials will make up about one-third of the workforce, and if the mental health issues of these generations are not addressed, they will have a major impact on society, Dai said. He said he was deaf.
He said the app is not intended to replace religion, but rather to help people of all ages navigate their own spiritual journeys.
“We are committed to providing data-backed tools and practices to help users find the peace that can only be found by connecting with a higher power,” Dai said.
