People who are religious for the wrong reasons may have a greater chance of becoming depressed than those who are sincere about their religion, according to a recent study done by a BYU professor.

"The overall finding suggests there are two different types of relationships between religiousness and depression," said Timothy Smith, associate professor of counseling and psychology at BYU. Those two types are called intrinsic and extrinsic, Smith said.

Intrinsically-motivated people are those who internalize religion and act in ways consistent with their religion because they enjoy it. The more religious these people are, the fewer symptoms of depression they report, Smith said.

Those people who are extrinsically motivated are religious out of obligation or to further their own interests. Smith said the more religious these people are, the more symptoms of depression they report.

"Religion is like any tool," Smith said. "Like a hammer it can be used to construct, to build and to edify or it can be used to destruct."

"It makes perfect sense to me that that would be true," said Kyle Roylance, a BYU bishop. "I believe that a person who's faithful will be more blessed."

Roylance said as a bishop he has seen many different factors that contribute to depression, including genetics and stress.

He stressed the importance of the Spirit in helping people overcome depression. If people are sincerely religious they are more likely to be blessed with the Spirit and the Spirit will help them to avoid or overcome depression, Roylance said.

Stephanie Taylor, 23, a senior from Boston, Mass., who is majoring in art history, has suffered from depression and agrees the Spirit is very helpful when coping with depression.

Taylor said living the Gospel has brought her comfort and helped her keep her focus when she is feeling down.

"You get these feelings of hopelessness and you have no hope for the future," she said. "The gospel gives you a perspective you wouldn't normally have."rong reasons may have a greater chance of becoming depressed than if they were not religious at all.

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Smith worked on the study with Michael McCullough, a professor from the University of Miami, and some BYU students.

The team did not do any original research but studied 147 research projects, published and unpublished, that focused on the relationship between religiosity and depression.

Smith anticipates the research will be published in the near future.



Copyright Brigham Young University 7 Oct 2002