Longevity and Religion

I read an Atlantic article about a conservative Seventh-Day Adventist sect in California called Loma Linda that focuses a lot of its religious zeal on the concept of living well and living healthily. Most of its members are vegetarians or vegans, are well-educated, and regularly attend religious services, basing their philosophy on the idea that the body and soul are one. Many of their oldest members were interviewed for the article, among them Ellsworth Wareham, who at 98 is still performing open heart surgery at the local hospital.

This article was so interesting to me because it shows religion functioning in a very practical way. The people in this sect live longer and, on average, happier lives due to the way they practice their beliefs. Their faith certainly seems to be "working," and in a way that is much more quantitatively obvious than many other religions. Their diet seems most important--they subsist on vegetarian or vegan, mostly Mediterranean diets-- but their religious observance also seems somewhat important; research shows that people who regularly attend religious services tend to be happier overall.

This has made me question the way that I live my life, mostly in terms of attending religious services. I don't consider myself to be religious, but the concept of a communal and spiritual gathering certainly appeals to me, not only because of the health benefits, but because of another sort of fulfillment as well. What exactly is it about religious services that benefit people so much? Are there other forms of communal interaction, or physical activity, that can provide similar rewards? I'll continue searching.

The link to the article is below.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/02/the-lovely-hill-where-people-live-longer-and-happier/272798/