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Games 2002  BBC Sport  BBC Weather  Friday, 12 November, 1999,
03:03 GMT Praying 'aids mental health' A religious person prays
People who pray frequently have better mental health People who
pray frequently are less likely to suffer from depression and
anxiety, according to a study.  Much research has recently
focused on the relationship between mental health and religion -
with conflicting results.  A study by psychologists from
Sheffield Hallam University looks into what aspects of religious
observance are particularly likely to influence mental well-
being.  They found that personal prayer was much more likely to
have a positive effect than going to church for social reasons.
They studied 251 men and 223 women aged between 18 and 29, and
measured their reasons for having a religious belief, the
frequency with which they attended church and their tendency to
depression.  Women were mor