How do you spend your Sunday? According to a recent survey for many, this traditional day of rest and churchgoing has become a day to shop, but it may be taking a toll on their overall happiness. Researchers from DePaul University in Chicago and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel tracked church attendance and levels of happiness among Americans living in states that had repealed so-called Blue Laws, which once required most retailers to stay closed on Sundays.
The researchers found that allowing stores to open on Sundays was linked with a decline in church attendance among women, which led to a subsequent decline in happiness. It might be noted that for men, the repeal of Blue Laws didn’t seem to influence church attendance or levels of happiness. It could be because men do not spend much time shopping and I did not even conduct a survey. I have no data to support this statement, but perhaps the happiness of men would increase if the women were not spending more money shopping.
The study reveals that since the repeal of Blue Laws, women are about 17 percent less likely to report being “pretty happy,” and more likely to report being “not happy.” Christian leaders have said for years that participation in religious activities increases one’s happiness, but there has never been any conclusive evidence to support this belief. However this new study provides evidence to support the belief of Christian leaders.
The researchers studied data collected from the General Social Survey, an ongoing sociological survey used to collect demographic information from United States residents. They compared respondents in 10 states where Sunday shopping had been banned and then allowed, compared with six states where there had been no change in rules for retailers. The study specifically focused on the behavior of Catholics and Protestants because they were most likely to attend church on Sundays.
Why would shopping on Sunday make women less happy? There are several reasons revealed in the study. First, many women are required to work on Sundays. Before Blue Laws were repealed they were able to spend time in church and with their family. Another reason for the decline in women’s happiness can be linked to the behavior of their children who start hanging out at shopping malls on Sundays. (Of course the problem here is not with the children, but the parents who allow their children to hang out at the shopping malls.) Earlier research revealed that the repeal of Blue Laws is linked with more risk-taking behavior by teens.
Another reason that women might be less happy is that the lure of shopping is more powerful than the desire to attend church, even though it brings less happiness. One researcher stated “Shopping is kind of addictive, and even though it doesn’t make people happy, they’re doing it and they don’t return to church as much because of that. There is instant gratification from shopping compared to the benefits of church, which may occur over a longer period of time.”
I read somewhere, even though I cannot remember exactly where, that regular church attendance increases one’s emotional and physical health. Studies reveal that those who attend church regularly and are involved in ministries within the church actually live longer than those who do not. Now with this latest study we know that religious activity increases our happiness.
I guess there is a reason they call them Blue Laws. If they make us so unhappy why did we ever repeal them?
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