Jesus is seriously good for you - the research proves it

Having a faith makes you happier. That's according to a new survey which says people of faith are on average 20 per cent more satisfied with life than atheists. Phil Knox looks at the implications

A few weeks ago I boarded the painfully early 6:26am train to London and stumbled sleepily into the on-train shop for a much needed injection of morning caffeine. It was there I made the mistake of asking the barista how she was doing. Her reply was a tsunami of pain, in which she managed to lament a list of woes from an achy foot to the threat of World War III. My response was sympathetically cheery, "We all need a bit of hope don’t we?!" As I walked away, purchased latte in hand, her words rang in my ears, "But there is no hope!"

As I talk to friends, neighbours, and occasionally baristas, I perceive more than ever a vacuum of hope. I can’t help but feel, as I read headlines of ever-increasing levels of anxiety and depression, that this hope deficit is contributing to a wellbeing crisis in our world. The Collins dictionary word of the year for 2022 was ‘Permacrisis’, defined as "an extended period of instability and insecurity, especially one resulting from a series of catastrophic events."

There’s an awful lot of bad news around.

And yet...