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Plain English Summary
Can strangers praying for you from afar actually improve your health? This meta-analysis crunched 15 randomized studies and found the answer is essentially no. The overall effect was tiny and statistically meaningless. Even more striking: when they removed one study later exposed as fraudulent, the effect plummeted to virtually zero (g = 0.003) -- about as close to "absolutely nothing" as research ever gets. No amount of tweaking the analysis -- looking at how often people prayed, how long they prayed -- changed the picture. The authors make a bold recommendation: stop studying distant intercessory prayer entirely. But they don't dismiss prayer altogether. They note that personal prayer as a coping tool shows some promising signals through ordinary psychological pathways like stress reduction and sense of control.
Abstract
This article reviews the empirical research on prayer and health and offers a research agenda to guide future studies. Though many people practice prayer and believe it affects their health, scientiο¬c evidence is limited. In keeping with a general increase in interest in spirituality and complementary and alternative treatments, prayer has garnered attention among a growing number of behavioral scientists. The effects of distant intercessory prayer are examined by meta-analysis and it is concluded that no discernable effects can be found. The literature regarding frequency of prayer, content of prayer, and prayer as a coping strategy is subsequently reviewed. Suggestions for future research include the conduct of experimental studies based on conceptual models that include precise operationally deο¬ned constructs, longitudinal investigations with proper measure of control variables, and increased use of ecological momentary assessment techniques.
Links
Related Papers
Meta Analyzes
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Extends
Companion
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π Cite this paper
Masters, Kevin S, Spielmans, Glen I (2007). Prayer and Health: Review, Meta-Analysis, and Research Agenda. Journal of Behavioral Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-007-9106-7
@article{masters_2007_prayer,
title = {Prayer and Health: Review, Meta-Analysis, and Research Agenda},
author = {Masters, Kevin S and Spielmans, Glen I},
year = {2007},
journal = {Journal of Behavioral Medicine},
doi = {10.1007/s10865-007-9106-7},
}