A new study suggests the mental health benefits often associated with religiosity may be attributed to the the habits and mindset it encourages.
Researchers found that a stronger sense of purpose, healthier digital habits, and less exposure to harmful online content were the strongest predictors of lower risk for addiction, anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

Researchers find that meaning in life and healthier digital habits may account for religiosity’s protective effects against addiction and psychological distress.

Why do some people cope better with stress, trauma, and the temptations of the digital age than others? A new study suggests the answer may lie in psychological resources and habits that religiosity can cultivate: a stronger sense of purpose, less time on social media, and reduced exposure to harmful online content.

Conducted while Israel was experiencing ongoing war, the study offers rare insight into how psychological resilience is shaped during periods of prolonged collective trauma and constant exposure to disturbing digital content. The findings may have implications far beyond Israel, offering new clues about how people can better protect their mental health during times of crisis.

Published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, the study was led by Dr. Aaron D. Cherniak, Dr. Dvora Shmulewitz, and Prof. Mario Mikulincer from the Department of Psychology and the Israel Center for Addiction and Mental Health (ICAMH) at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. It examined nearly 3,000 Israeli Jewish adults to explore how religiosity, meaning in life, social media use, and exposure to disturbing online content relate to addiction and mental health. The findings reveal that religious participants reported lower rates of substance misuse, behavioral addictions, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, an advantage that can be explained by psychological and digital lifestyle factors that religiosity promotes.

"Our findings suggest that religiosity itself is not the whole story," said Dr. Aaron D. Cherniak. "Much of its protective effect appears to come from the extent it can help people cultivate meaning in life and reduce potentially harmful digital exposure. The encouraging implication is that these are factors anyone can strengthen, regardless of whether they are religious."
Across the study, three factors consistently emerged as the strongest predictors of better mental health:

• A stronger sense that life has meaning and purpose.
• Less time spent on social media.
• Lower exposure to harmful online content, including graphic war-related material and hate speech.

These factors were linked to lower vulnerability to substance misuse, behavioral addictions such as problematic gambling, gaming and pornography use, as well as symptoms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress. Meaning in life and healthy digital habits are modifiable and worthwhile targets for interventions, be they therapeutic, psychosocial, or public health in nature.

One of the study's most striking findings is that once researchers accounted for meaning in life and digital habits, religiosity no longer independently predicted better mental health outcomes. Its protective effect remained significant only for problematic substance use, indicating that other aspects of religiosity, such as shared norms and social support within religious communities, may provide additional safeguards against alcohol and drug misuse.

Participants who spent more time on social media and encountered more graphic war-related material or online hate speech reported significantly greater psychological distress, regardless of their religious identity.

Rather than focusing solely on treating individual disorders, the researchers examined common underlying vulnerability across multiple conditions—including addiction, depression, anxiety and PTSD—to better understand the vulnerability and resilience across symptom categories.

"Religion has long been a source of meaning and inspiration for behavior change,” Cherniak added. "Our results show these resources, which are not exclusive to religion, may reduce vulnerability to a variety of psychological difficulties.”

The findings reinforce the idea that helping people cultivate meaning in life, improve digital wellbeing, and reduce exposure to harmful online content could become an important direction for mental health prevention—not only during periods of conflict, but in everyday life.

Methodology
The researchers analyzed survey responses from 2,907 Jewish adults in Israel collected in February 2025. Participants represented a broad cross-section of Jewish Israeli society, including secular, traditional, religious, and ultra-Orthodox communities. Using validated psychological assessments, the team measured symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, substance use, behavioral addictions, meaning in life, social media use, and exposure to harmful online content. Advanced statistical modeling allowed the researchers to examine how these factors interact and identify which ones best explain differences in mental health and addiction risk while accounting for demographic characteristics and direct exposure to the ongoing war.