Why Prayer (or Meditation) Matters for Human Flourishing
Answers from over 200k participants in 22 countries
“A flourishing life begins with a still moment.”
In a world addicted to hustle and hyperconnectivity, prayer or meditation offers something radically countercultural: pause, presence, and purpose. Whether whispered in a pew, chanted in a temple, or breathed silently in a room lit with incense or fluorescent lights, the act of turning inward to something beyond ourselves appears to be universally meaningful. And now, global data from our recent paper on prayer/meditation is backing that up.
Our recent findings from the Global Flourishing Study—a massive international research project surveying over 200,000 participants—reveal that the habit of daily prayer or meditation is not just spiritual icing. It’s a predictor and expression of a life rich with meaning and purpose—core ingredients of human flourishing .
Childhood Roots, Lifelong Habits
The study’s analysis of childhood experiences shows that some of the most potent predictors of adult prayer or meditation are not theological sophistication or adult religiosity, but early-life relationships and environments. For example:
A warm relationship with one’s father (RR = 1.03) was significantly associated with more frequent adult prayer or meditation.
Those who felt like “outsiders” growing up were also more likely to become regular pray-ers or meditators later in life (RR = 1.05).
Interestingly, we found that children who attended religious services at least weekly by age 12 were nearly twice as likely to pray or meditate daily as adults (RR = 1.91) .
These findings show something deeply intuitive but often overlooked: spiritual habits are not formed in isolation—they’re planted in the soil of early belonging, guidance, and struggle.
One Practice, Many Forms
But here is what makes this insight globally relevant: prayer and meditation take radically different forms across cultures. In India, prayer might involve ritual offerings and Sanskrit mantras. In Senegal, it might be recited in Arabic five times a day. In Brazil, it could look like lighting a candle at a home altar or walking barefoot in nature. In Japan, mindfulness might dominate; in Nigeria, charismatic intercession.
“Prayer wears many garments but kneels in the same direction—toward meaning.”
This cultural diversity is not a bug—it’s a feature. While the form of prayer or meditation varies, the function—connecting with the sacred, making sense of life, seeking comfort or guidance—remains consistent. That’s why we group these under the same umbrella when examining their effects on flourishing. They serve as pathways to the “meaning and purpose” dimension of human flourishing, and central to a full life.
And the science backs it up: Meaning and purpose are linked to better mental health, lower mortality risk, and even resilience in the face of adversity.
“Meaning is the muscle that keeps us moving when life falls apart.”
The Science of Sacred Routine
The Global Flourishing Study’s data tells us more than just correlations—it tells a story. And that story is one where ritual begets resilience.
Those who experienced religious marginality—being outsiders, growing up in fractured families, or navigating early hardship—were more likely to cling to or cultivate spiritual habits later in life. For instance, those born outside their country of residence were significantly more likely to engage in daily spiritual practices (RR = 1.09), perhaps as a way of anchoring identity amid dislocation (see my article on Migrants and the Bond with God, which touches on some of this naunce).
“When your roots are shaken, ritual becomes your refuge.”
This pattern suggests that prayer or meditation is not just a cultural inheritance—it’s often a chosen practice of survival and significance. It becomes a response to pain, a resource in transition, and a habit that restores.
Why This Matters Now
We live in a moment when mental health crises are surging, loneliness is rampant, and trust in institutions is crumbling. Amid all this, prayer and meditation offer something that algorithms can’t: meaning.
Not productivity. Not popularity. Not even happiness. Meaning.
And meaning is what holds us together when the center doesn’t.
“Flourishing isn’t just feeling good—it’s having a reason to get up.”
What our GFS paper on prayer reminds us is that these reasons often begin early and run deep. But they can also be reawakened. Prayer and meditation don’t require a seminary degree or a religious label. They require intention, rhythm, and an openness to the sacred.
The Takeaway
So what should we learn from this global snapshot?
Invest in early spiritual exposure. Families, schools, and communities shape adult spiritual practices more than we realize. Encouraging reflection and sacred habits early on is not indoctrination—it’s empowerment.
Recognize cultural diversity in spiritual expression. One person’s rosary is another’s breathwork. Let’s stop debating forms and start celebrating the function: a deepened sense of meaning.
Treat prayer/meditation as essential well-being practices. Just like exercise or sleep, these habits should be taken seriously—not as optional extras, but as core to human thriving.
“If we want to flourish, we need sacred habits that outlast our chaos.”
In an age when many are searching for purpose in a scroll, it may be time to look up—or inward—and recover what countless generations knew instinctively: that prayer or meditation grounds us in a story bigger than ourselves. And that is the story of God!
And in that story, we flourish.
Reference:
Bradshaw, M., Counted, V., Lomas, T. et al. (2025). Childhood experiences and adult prayer or meditation in 22 countries around the world. Scientic Reports 15, 15083. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99796-x