5 reasons why NEW-YEAR is good for HEALTH!!

Prayer helps hearts

Attending midnight mass on Christmas Eve may not be your idea of a good time, but such religious traditions can function as anti-stress mechanisms, reducing your blood pressure and the risk of heart disease, say researchers at Duke University in the US.

"We've discovered prayer, as well as attending church services, lead to better social health, better health behavior such as less smoking and more exercise, and better physical health," Dr Harold Koenig, a psychiatrist at the university, says. The study also found that no matter the religion, spirituality was linked to better mental health -- specifically lower levels of neuroticism.

But if you don't "believe", don't expect to reap the benefits by simply going to church, Koenig warns -- to experience profound change, you need to be willing to make an effort mentally and spiritually. If religion isn't your thing, he suggests finding a path to inner peace through meditation and treating others in the same way you expect to be treated.

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