According to a new study, Bible engagement can protect people against what the U.S. surgeon general has termed an “epidemic of loneliness” as harmful to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
In the latest chapter of the 2024 State of the Bible Report, the American Bible Society based in Philadelphia finds that Bible reading, practicing forgiveness, and church attendance all offer individual antidotes to loneliness, decreasing the malady by more than 50%.
Statistically, nearly 75% of all Americans report moderate to high levels of loneliness that not only lead to poor health outcomes, but also cost employers an estimated $154 billion annually in absences attributed to stress created by loneliness, the surgeon general said in 2023, and cost $6.7 annually in excess Medicare spending among socially isolated older adults.
But when the Bible enters the equation, only 11% of Scripture-engaged respondents reported high levels of loneliness, compared to 22% of those considered Bible-disengaged, with Scripture engagement defined as those who score 100 or higher on a scale judging the frequency of Bible readership and its impact on and centrality to a reader’s daily life.
Among churchgoers, only 12% of those who attend church weekly report high levels of feeling lonely, compared to 25% of those who never attend.
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Regarding forgiveness, 16% of those strongly able and somewhat able to forgive reported high levels of loneliness, compared to 36% of those strongly unable to forgive, and 22% of those somewhat unable to forgive.
Otherwise, loneliness varied by generation and gender. In ABS research, 37% of Gen Z females reported high levels of loneliness, compared to 18% of Gen Z males; with 49% of Gen Z females reporting moderate levels of loneliness, compared to 59% of males of that generation. Only 14% of Gen Z females reported low levels of loneliness, compared to 23% of Gen Z males.
Lowest levels of loneliness were found among older Americans, whom ABS grouped in the Boomer-plus category. Here, males and females equally reported high levels of loneliness at 11%, followed by 53% of female and 49% of males reporting moderate levels of loneliness, and 36% of females and 40% of males reporting low levels of loneliness.
And while wealth is widely considered limited in achieving mental wellbeing, annual income levels above $100,000 correlated with lower levels of loneliness, researchers found, with 13% of those in that income bracket reporting high levels of loneliness, compared to 33% of those earning less than $20,000.
Researchers also graded respondents with a loneliness score based on the University of California at Los Angeles Loneliness Scale, resulting in an overall score of 5 to 20, with the average for all respondents settling at 11.9.
State of the Bible is based on a nationally representative survey conducted for ABS by NORC at the University of Chicago, using the AmeriSpeak panel. Findings are based on 2,506 online interviews conducted in January 2024 with adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Scripture engagement offers interaction with a God who loves “with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3) and a God whom the Psalmist in Psalm 139:3 said was familiar with all of his ways, the ABS said, and encourages church attendance that provides avenues for meaningful relationships.
The final chapter scheduled for release this year will focus on philanthropy. Download chapters one-eight here. The eighth chapter includes a video interview with Susan Mettes, author of “The Loneliness Epidemic,” who offers additional insight on how the Bible and churches can help fight loneliness nationally.
When you’re feeling lonely, can the Bible help? Susan Mettes, author of The Loneliness Epidemic, shares her findings on the state of loneliness in the United States and how the Bible and churches can make a difference. Watch the full interview here: https://t.co/pUIcLAaq0b pic.twitter.com/tCGE4Uy9lk
— AmericanBibleSociety (@americanbible) November 21, 2024
This article was originally published by Baptist Press and has been reprinted with permission.
Diana Chandler is senior writer for Baptist Press.
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2 Responses
This seems a bit common sense. Church attendance (being around people) reduces loneliness, which often results from not being around people. Also a lot of it strikes me as correlation, such as the role of forgiveness. It could be something both motivates forgiveness and makes loneliness less likely. It would probably help if the study was by a more neutral organization.
Does “neutral” mean secular? I don’t see how that would help as most secular organizations would not consider the values of the church and appropriately categorize the conducts within said paradigm. Interestingly, the American Bible Society used a secular organization to survey Americans and secular metrics to grade respondents. Certainly, non-Christian practices may also mitigate loneliness but that was not the mandate of this study. I do know spending time in the Word of God, forgiving others as I have been forgiven, and being connected to a vibrant community has been of immeasurable benefit to me, since the death of my wife. I am grateful for the goodness of God. He is that good!