A study of young adults attending public universities in the United States found that religiosity moderated the association between praying for a partner and relationship satisfaction. For more religious people, the association between praying for their partner and higher relationship satisfaction was stronger. The paper is Psychology of religion and spirituality.
A recent survey of U.S. adults found that only 57% consider themselves to be somewhat or very religious. Still, a majority say they believe in God or a universal spirit (83%). 67% reported praying at least weekly or monthly. Since the majority of the population continues to pray, researchers are investigating how this practice relates to relationships with other people.
Previous research has shown that people who pray are more satisfied with their relationships, more likely to forgive their partners, and less likely to cheat on their partners. This may be because prayer changes the appraisal of stressors, helping individuals feel a stronger sense of meaning and focus their attention on what is important. Prayer can also act as a coping mechanism to help overcome negative emotions.
Study author Frank D. Fincham conducted a study that focused on prayers for lovers. He states that this type of prayer usually takes the form of a petition to God to promote the well-being of the partner. A previous meta-analysis found that people who pray for their partners more often tend to report slightly higher relationship satisfaction than people who don’t pray for their partners or who pray less frequently. However, Fincham noted that the effect sizes varied widely across studies, suggesting that other factors may influence the relationship.
The participants in this study were two groups of undergraduate students at a public university in the southeastern United States enrolled in courses in the College of Human Sciences. To participate, participants had to demonstrate belief in supernatural agents and be currently in a relationship. The first group consisted of 179 students, of whom 160 were women. The second sample consisted of 237 students, of whom 214 were female. The average age of the students was 19 to 20 years.
Participating students completed assessments of relationship satisfaction (e.g., “How rewarding is your relationship with your partner?”), prayers for your partner (e.g., “I pray for the happiness of my partner” and “I pray for good things to happen to my partner”), and religiosity (“How often do you attend religious services or gatherings?” and “How important is religion in your life?”).
The results showed that the more religious people were, the more often they prayed for their partners. Those who prayed more often for their partners tended to be slightly more satisfied with their relationships, but this association was weak and only crossed the threshold for statistical reporting (i.e., was statistically significant) in the second, larger sample. However, the strength of the association was similar.
Further analysis revealed a moderating effect. The association between praying for a partner and relationship satisfaction was stronger for people who were more religious. Specifically, the association between partner-focused prayer and relationship satisfaction was weakest and not statistically significant among those with the least religiosity, but the association became stronger as religiosity increased.
Fincham theorizes that this may be due to an “internal dialogue” about consistency. A person who is highly religious but rarely prays for their partner may unconsciously interpret that lack of prayer as dissatisfaction with the relationship, whereas a person who is less religious may not read too much into it.
“The reported findings advance our understanding of the association between partner-focused prayer and relationship satisfaction by showing that it is more nuanced than previously depicted. By identifying religiosity as a moderating factor, this study begins to explore additional variables that may interact with partner-focused prayer, allowing us to better understand its association and potential impact on relationship outcomes,” Fincham concluded.
This study contributes to scientific understanding of the role of religiosity in romantic relationships. However, we note that the cross-sectional design of this study does not allow causal inferences to be drawn from the results. Additionally, study participants were overwhelmingly young, white women. Results may differ for men and other age and demographic groups. Furthermore, the measure of religiosity relies on only two items and may not fully capture the complexity of a person’s beliefs.
This paper, “Partner-Focused Prayer and Relationship Satisfaction: Does Religion Matter?” was written by Frank D. Fincham.
