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    This Ivy League researcher says spirituality is good for our mental health

    A Columbia University professor says spiritual beliefs can decrease our rates of anxiety and depression. I needed to understand how she came to these conclusions.
    by Rachel Martin Jul 30, 2023 8 minutes
    Professor Lisa Miller has dedicated most of her career to the study of neuroscience and spirituality.

    People have asked me what I've learned so far through this series. Have I gotten any clarity on what makes up my own spiritual identity? And the answer is, not really. I'm still in the research phase of this project. I'm still collecting experiences and perspectives and I imagine I'll keep doing that forever, but it's too early to draw any definitive conclusions — except for one.

    I believe each and every one of us is capable of making our own meaning. Some of us do that by living according to a set of religious principles. Or by feeling the beauty and sanctity of nature. Or by choosing to see spiritual connections in what others might call mere coincidence.

    I don't need anyone to validate those experiences for them to be meaningful to me. But according to Lisa Miller, a professor in the Clinical Psychology Program at Teachers College, Columbia University, having a spiritual life is good for your mental health.

    Miller is a psychologist and has dedicated most of her career to the study of neuroscience and spirituality. Her newest book is called , and in it she makes some really bold claims about how holding spiritual beliefs can decrease our rates of anxiety and depression and generally make us most likely

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