A Preliminary Study of the Acute Effects of Religious Ritual on Anxiety
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Various rituals have been shown to have both psychologic as well as physical effects. However, many rituals have multiple components that can account for such effects. Few studies have distinguished between the effects of ritual and those related specifically to religious content and teachings. OBJECTIVES: The present study investigated the acute effects of the ritual of reciting the Rosary, which contains relatively little specific religious content compared to receiving specific teaching of religious concepts, on the level of anxiety. METHODS: We studied 30 students in a Catholic college divided into two intervention groups. Twelve (12) students participated in recitation of the Rosary, whereas 18 students viewed a religiously oriented video. Both groups were measured for anxiety pre- and postintervention through the use of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. RESULTS: A significant reduction in anxiety was observed in subjects reciting the Rosary compared to the group of subjects watching the video. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest that ritual itself may be a significant contributor to the effects of religious practices on psychologic well-being.
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Religious rituals are known to be activated during times of anxiety and negative emotion.
“Similar to ritualistic compulsions, religious rituals are known to be activated during times of anxiety and negative emotion (Ahler & Tamney, 1964;Anastasi & Newberg, 2008).”
From The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework (2018) · cites this paper as Anastasi & Newberg, 2008
Catholic college students randomly assigned to recite the Rosary experienced greater reduction in anxiety than those assigned to watch a religious video.
“Second, Anastasi and Newberg (2008) measured Catholic college students' anxiety before and after a stressful experience and found that those randomly assigned to recite the Rosary, a Catholic set of prayers, experienced greater reduction in anxiety than those assigned to watch a religious video.”
From The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework (2018) · cites this paper as Anastasi and Newberg, 2008
Cites
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1982) · General Hospital Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/0163-8343(82)90026-3 · Cited by 4,255 · see citing works
Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical and premedical students
Shapiro, S. L., Schwartz, G. E., & Bonner, G. (1998) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1023/a:1018700829825 · Cited by 1,493 · see citing works
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“2,3,7 Long-term studies of religious attendance have shown that subjects with high religiosity over a period of time (perhaps even a life-time) experience better health than those with low religiosity.”
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The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework
Hobson, N. M., Schroeder, J., Risen, J. L., Xygalatas, D., & Inzlicht, M. (2018) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1177/1088868317734944 · Cited by 354 · see citing works
RETRACTED: Don’t stop believing: Rituals improve performance by decreasing anxiety
Brooks, A. W., Schroeder, J., Risen, J. L., Gino, F., Galinsky, A. D., Norton, M. I., & Schweitzer, M. E. (2016) · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes · doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2016.07.004 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
RetractedEnacting rituals to improve self-control.
Tian, A. D., Schroeder, J., Häubl, G., Risen, J. L., Norton, M. I., & Gino, F. (2018) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/pspa0000113 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
RetractedRituals, Repetitiveness and Cognitive Load: A Competitive Test of Ritual Benefits for Stress
Karl, J. A., & Fischer, R. (2018) · Human Nature · doi:10.1007/s12110-018-9325-3 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
- Authors
- Anastasi, M. W., & Newberg, A. B.
- Affiliations
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- ORCID
- Newberg, Andrew B.
- Venue
- The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2008-03
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 163-165
- ISSN
- 1075-5535 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-7708
- OpenAlex
- W2040541250
- Cited by
- 65
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 1.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Religion, Ecology, and Ethics
- Keywords
- religious rituals, anxiety, Rosary, Catholic prayers, religious practice
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Anxiety, Catholicism, Ceremonial Behavior, Female, Humans, Internal-External Control, Male, Students, Health Behavior, Treatment Outcome, Spirituality
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