Study: Going to synagogue leads to longevity - Haaretz

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Wed., August 22, 2007 Elul 8, 5767

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Study: Going to synagogue leads to longevity

By Ofri Ilani

Adults who attend synagogue regularly live longer than their peers who do not attend synagogue, according to a recently published study carried out by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The research, conducted by Professor Howard Litwin of the university's Israel Gerontological Data Center (IGDC), was published in The European Journal of Aging.

The aim of the study was to examine the effect of social ties on longevity. According to Professor Litwin, "everyone says that the people around you determine how long you will live. The study that we conducted tried to look at this in greater depth and to see whether the interpersonal environment really does contribute to survival."

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Litwin heads the IGDC, which was established with support from the Central Bureau of Statistics; its function is to deepen knowledge about aging in Israel. The study was based on a Bureau of Statistics survey conducted in 1997, which interviewed about 5,000 Israeli men and women aged 60 and above about their way of life. Seven years later, in 2004, Litwin and his team examined which of the subjects were still alive and which had passed away. The study focused on a group of 1,811 of them, and discovered that 684, or 38 percent, had died. The researchers then compared these findings to the subjects' way of life.

According to Litwin, the death rate was predictably highest among participants who were elderly and sick. The participants were also classified with respect to income levels, and the study found that among those with the lowest incomes, the death rate was two-thirds higher than among those with the highest incomes. Among elderly people who suffered from depression, the death rate was 80 percent greater than among those who did not suffer from depression.

"These findings are not surprising, but we did find two other unique variables that influence survival: the frequency of communication with friends and the frequency of synagogue attendance. Those who attended synagogue regularly clearly had the highest rate of survival," Litwin said.

The data showed that the death rate was 75 percent higher among the group that did not attend synagogue than it was among the group that attended synagogue regularly.

Litwin said that there is no clear-cut explanation for the synagogue attendance effect, but there are two main possibilities: "One explanation is spiritual - that is, the individual faith factor. A series of studies that have been conducted in recent years, especially in the United States, argue that faith helps people deal with psychological pressure. People who believe and pray apparently survive longer."

Another explanation is the connection between attending synagogue and belonging to a supportive community. According to Litwin, "in late old age, the main problem that many people have is the loss of one's social function. A person who goes to synagogue has a function: He is called to the Torah, and he has a network of social ties in the community."

However, Litwin also noted a caveat about the findings: Since religious Jews do not drive on Shabbat, a person who goes to synagogue regularly must be able to walk, and hence is healthier.

For those who do not attend synagogue, the existence of friends can serve as an alternative. "It's important to remember that according to the findings, social ties carry the same weight as attending synagogue," Litwin stressed. "This means that in order to live long, there is no need to be particularly righteous, but it is important to be sociable."

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