Participants who spent more time on social media or encountered more graphic war footage and online hate speech reported greater psychological distress, regardless of their religious identity.
By Pesach Benson, TPS
A stronger sense of purpose, less time on social media and lower exposure to harmful online content may explain much of the lower psychological distress and addiction vulnerability associated with religiosity, according to a new Hebrew University study of nearly 3,000 Jewish adults in Israel.
The study, conducted during Israel’s war with Hamas, found that participants from more religious communities reported lower levels of substance misuse, behavioral addictions, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress.
But religiosity itself largely lost its independent association with these outcomes after researchers accounted for participants’ sense of meaning in life and their digital habits.
“Our findings suggest that religiosity itself is not the whole story,” said Dr. Aaron D. Cherniak of Hebrew University’s Department of Psychology and Israel Center for Addiction and Mental Health.
“Much of its protective effect appears to come from the extent it can help people cultivate meaning in life and reduce potentially harmful digital exposure.”
The findings do not establish that religious belief directly causes better mental health.
Instead, they identify several potentially modifiable factors that may help explain the association between religiosity and psychological resilience.
The researchers analyzed survey responses from 2,907 Jewish adults collected in February 2025, representing secular, traditional, religious, and ultra-Orthodox communities.
Participants were assessed for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, substance use, and behavioral addictions, including problematic gambling, gaming, and pornography use.
Three factors showed the strongest associations with lower psychological distress and addiction vulnerability: a stronger sense of meaning and purpose, less time spent on social media, and lower exposure to harmful online content, including graphic war-related material and hate speech.
Participants who spent more time on social media or encountered more graphic war footage and online hate speech reported greater psychological distress, regardless of their religious identity.
Between Meaning and Media
The findings suggest that digital exposure may be an important component of mental-health vulnerability during prolonged crises.
They also point to meaning and purpose as potentially useful targets for prevention, including among people who are not religious.
Religiosity retained an independent association with lower levels of problematic substance use.
The researchers said this could indicate that other features of religious life, such as shared norms, social support, and community structures, may provide additional protection against alcohol and drug misuse.
“Religion has long been a source of meaning and inspiration for behavior change,” Cherniak said.
“Our results show these resources, which are not exclusive to religion, may reduce vulnerability to a variety of psychological difficulties.”
The study’s findings could inform mental-health prevention programs that focus not only on treating disorders but also on strengthening people’s sense of purpose and encouraging healthier digital habits.
During wartime, such approaches could include helping people manage exposure to graphic footage and other disturbing online material.
The researchers’ emphasis on meaning and purpose could also inform resilience programs designed to help people cope with prolonged uncertainty and trauma.
However, because the study was based on survey data collected at one point in time, it cannot establish whether reducing social-media use or increasing a sense of meaning would directly improve mental health.
Further research, including experimental studies, would be needed to test those possibilities.
The findings should therefore be viewed as potential directions for prevention rather than evidence that particular interventions are effective.
The study was published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.
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