Senior Madison Shattuck has attended Northview Church on Hazel Dell Parkway for the past five years, but for her, church does not end after Sunday morning. Instead, she said, her connection to God extends beyond the church doors. It is a relationship that brings her hope and happiness.

“(If you believe in God, you have) the belief in something bigger than yourself, knowing that no matter what happens, there’s someone in control who knows what you’re going through and what you’re feeling, so you’re not alone,” Shattuck said.

According to a Gallup poll released in March, Americans who regularly attend a church, mosque or synagogue experience more positive emotions than those who do not, especially on the days that they visit their place of worship. This poll reflects a general concept in the psychology of religion that faith makes people happier, according to Kevin Ladd, associate professor of psychology at IU with a background in the psychology of religion and prayer.

For Shattuck, one way that religion makes her happy is her faith itself. She said her personal connection to God creates feelings of strength and security, emotions which members of her church often refer to as part of a “spiritual high.”

“(Knowing that) someone who’s so much more powerful than you are, who has control over everything, wants what’s best for you – it’s just an amazing feeling,” Shattuck said.

Along with the effects of faith, Ladd said, the social support group created in a place of worship also has a strong positive influence on a religious person’s emotions. These social bonds are important in any context, spiritual or not, he said, but shared values and beliefs in a religious congregation make the bonds especially powerful.

This is true for Shattuck, who said she has close relationships with the members of her congregation both in and out of church. Many of her friends at school either attend her church or share similar beliefs to hers, she said.

“My church is a big family, so whenever we’re together, it just brings a smile to (my) face to be around people who love and care about (me),” Shattuck said.

However, not all churchgoers have this same experience. According to junior Joseph Booth, he has never really felt a strong sense of community with others at his church, conflicting instead with many of the opinions expressed there.

“I just don’t like how people try to shove their ideas down your throat, and I’m tired of hearing that every church I go to, so I decided not to go (to church) anymore,” Booth said.

Booth stopped attending church when he was a freshman. However, he said, he might have stayed had he had a better social group there.

“I felt so pushed out of the ‘in’ group (at church) that it wasn’t a healthy atmosphere for me, so yes, I think it was the happier choice for me to leave,” Booth said.

According to Ladd, while attending a place of worship is tied closely to happiness, this generally does not apply to people who have negative relationships with their religious community.

Outside of a religious context, Ladd said, many people find other social support groups that create similar positive emotions and relationships. These kind of social groups are especially important for high school students, as they develop and make important decisions, he said.

According to Booth, he developed the strong community and friendships that he never found at church in show choir and theater at this school. He said his friends in these groups, are his other family, whom he can always rely on for support.

Unlike religious groups, however, non-religious communities often do not provide a context for the deeper, metaphysical questions and long-term goals associated with faith, according to Ladd. For example, he said, community service in a religious context has rewards beyond merely helping others.

“Religious context says that, ‘Yes, being nice is good, but there’s also a greater purpose,’” Ladd said.

For Shattuck, her religious community regularly provides opportunities for her to achieve this purpose. Every Thursday, Shattuck and other volunteers from her church provide a meal, homework help, games and a Bible lesson for children at the Brookside Community Church in downtown Indianapolis. According to Shattuck, acts of service are central to her faith, so they too make her feel spiritually and emotionally uplifted.

“The way we view serving is that it not only helps the people (in need), it also helps your heart. It’s the act of being selfless instead of selfish,” Shattuck said. “So if I wasn’t doing that . . . it just doesn’t feel right.”

According to Shattuck, she feels compelled to regularly take part in service activities just as she feels the need to regularly participate in church services in order to maintain the strength of her faith and happiness.

“When I attend church regularly, I view it kind of as ‘recharging my batteries,’” Shattuck said. “If I miss a week of church, I find that things are just more difficult.”

For Booth, when he was still attending church and week-long religious summer camps, he said the fall-out from religious enthusiasm was highly disheartening.

“It’s like coming back to reality, because when you’re at a camp or a church, you hear all these wonderful things…and you’re so empowered to do better with your life, and then you get back, and you fall into your old habits, and nothing changes,” Booth said.

According to Ladd, people often experience a decline in positive emotions away from their place of worship, especially if their commitment to their faith or religious community is moderate or low. In general, however, people who are less attached to their religion still can benefit from participating in religious activities, only to a different extent, he said.

“When people attend religious functions, they have a wide range of reasons why they’re there…but people who are more invested in their religion will see much more benefit,” Ladd said.

Shattuck too said that while less religious people could experience positive emotions in a place of worship just by being in a spiritual setting, only the truly devout feel the full extent of that happiness.

“(It’s like being) at a concert,” Shattuck said. “If you’re in the crowd, you’re enjoying (the music), and you’re having fun, and you’re really happy. But when you talk to the band, they say the best feeling in the world is being on the stage.”