1. incredulous /ɪnˈkredʒələs/ not willing or not able to believe sth; showing an inability to believe sth 不肯相信的；不能相信的；表示怀疑的
2. might be the case
3. Spiritual traditions the world over have developed sophisticated systems that impact and regulate all aspects of human life.
4. secular /ˈsekjələ(r)/ not connected with spiritual or religious matters 现世的；世俗的；非宗教的
5. intrinsic /ɪnˈtrɪnsɪk/ ~ (to sth) belonging to or part of the real nature of sth/sb 固有的；内在的；本身的
6. mandate vt. 授权；托管
7. at all points in the life cycle
8. expected to support the well-being of others
9. to visit the sick and is expected
10. was associated with a 60 percent reduced risk of
11. As an added bonus
12. fare better
13. waning power of
14. dispassionately adv. 冷静地；不动感情地
15. we may be able to look at ways we can potentially utilize these findings to aid people in fostering better health.
16. spiritually-based practices such as meditation

Do religious people have greater resilience?
相信宗教的人会更健康吗？

For some people, the idea that there could be a connection between religion and better mental health seems a strange one. For instance, a 2015 article published in Maclean's—“The Science Is In: God is the Answer,” written by Brian Bethune and Genna Buck—provoked many hostile and incredulous reactions in the comments section.
对于某些人来说，宗教与更好的心理健康之间可能存在联系的想法似乎很奇怪。 例如，布莱恩·白求恩（Brian Bethune）和根纳·巴克（Genna Buck）在2015年麦克林（Maclean）发表的文章“科学从内而来：上帝就是答案”中，在评论部分引起了许多敌意和令人怀疑的反应。

The provocative title of the article was no doubt part of the reason for the anger. However, this reaction is not surprising for anyone who works in the field of religious studies. The commonplace understanding is that there can be no relationship between religion and science and that if anything, faith is the enemy of mental health. But in fact, a growing body of research reveals clearly that religious people are healthier both physically and mentally.
这篇文章的挑衅性无疑是引起愤怒的原因之一。 但是，这种反应对于从事宗教研究领域的人来说并不奇怪。 普遍的理解是，宗教与科学之间不可能有任何关系，信仰（如果有的话）是心理健康的敌人。 但是实际上，越来越多的研究清楚地表明，有信仰的宗教人士身心健康更有保障。

While this may seem curious at first, some reflection can quickly demonstrate why this might be the case. Spiritual traditions the world over have developed sophisticated systems that impact and regulate all aspects of human life. An obvious example is related to how individuals treat their bodies and the bodies of others. Many of the world’s religious traditions discourage the use of alcohol or drugs and emphasize the sacrality of all aspects of the human person. As a result, one Is expected to treat both their own and the bodies of others with care and respect. This can be very different from the secular model which tends to utilize a machine metaphor of the body and as possessing no intrinsic meaning.
尽管乍一看似乎很奇怪，但是一些反思可以迅速证明为什么会出现这种情况：长久以来，世界各地的不同精神传统已经形成了复杂的系统，这个系统影响和调节着人类生活的各个方面。 举一个明显的例子——与个人如何对待自己的身体和他人的身体有关——世界上许多宗教传统都不鼓励饮酒或吸毒，并强调人类各方面的神圣性， 这个理念形成的传统就是——期望一个人以谨慎和尊重的态度对待自己和他人的身体。 这与世俗模型有很大的不同，世俗模型倾向于把身体当作是机器，并且不具有内在含义。

Another important feature of traditional religions is that most emphasize community—and we know that socially isolated individuals are at risk for greater mental and physical problems. Many of the world’s religions mandate community support at all points in the life cycle: at birth, marriage, death, and points in between. The larger group is expected to support the well-being of others. For instance, in the Jewish tradition, it is a mitzvah to visit the sick and is expected. Looked at in this way, it is less surprising to find a connection between religious belief and well-being.
传统宗教的另一个重要特征是，大多数宗教都强调社区，而且我们知道，社会孤立的个人面临更大的精神和身体问题的风险。 世界上许多宗教都要求社区在生命周期的各个阶段提供支持：出生，结婚，死亡以及之间的各个阶段。大的群体应该要支持其他人的福祉， 例如，在犹太人的传统中，拜访病人是一个礼拜仪式，这是人们所期望的。 以这种方式看，轻而易举就可以发现宗教信仰和身心健康之间的紧密联系。

The basis of the Maclean's article was research done by clinical psychologist Lisa Miller, whose studies focus on the mental health of adolescents. She found that religious belief—any religious belief—in adolescence was associated with a 60 percent reduced risk of suffering from depression, a 40 percent reduced risk of abusing drugs or alcohol, and an 80 percent reduced likelihood of engaging in unprotected sex (Bethune, 2015). As an added bonus, the teenagers studied also tended to fare better academically. Based on these results, many could argue that we, as a society, ought to re-examine what has been lost with the waning power of religious belief and practice.
Maclean文章的理论基础是临床心理学家Lisa Miller进行的研究，该研究的重点是青少年的心理健康。 她发现，青春期的宗教信仰（任何宗教信仰）对患抑郁症的风险降低了60％，对滥用毒品或酒精有关的风险降低了40％，以及进行无保护的性行为的可能性降低了80％（Bethune， 2015）。 作为额外的奖励，有信仰的青少年在学术上也表现得更好。 基于这些结果，许多人可能认为，作为一个社会，我们应该重新审视宗教信仰和实践力量的减弱所造成的损失。

Miller is certainly not the first to find these sorts of connections. Jeff Levin, medical doctor and researcher, was a pioneer in the field in the 1980s. In his research, Levin consulted the wealth of information found in surveys done by the National Institutes of Health. In his influential book God, Faith and Health (2001), he began to examine the findings that indicate that religious people live longer, on average, than non-religious people. Levin, like Miller, also notes the hostility that he faced from other doctors when he attempted to share his research findings.
米勒当然不是第一个发现这种联系的人。 在1980年代医学博士和研究员Jeff Levin是该领域的先驱。 在他的研究中，列文参考了美国国立卫生研究院进行的调查中发现的大量信息。 在他的有影响力的著作《上帝，信仰与健康》（2001年）中，他研究发现，宗教人士比非宗教人士平均寿命更长。 然而，像米勒一样，莱文也指出，当他试图分享他的研究结果时，他面对其他医生的敌意。

Given the evidence, it may be the case that religion contributes to both physical and mental well-being. If researchers examine the reasons for this dispassionately and temper strong emotional reactions, we may be able to look at ways we can potentially utilize these findings to aid people in fostering better health.
有证据表明，宗教可能有助于身心健康。 如果科学研究人员可以摒除偏见，正确的审视这些关联研究的话，我们也许能够可以利用这些发现来帮助人们改善身心健康。

Interestingly, there are signs that attitudes are changing. This likely due, in part, to the success of spiritually-based practices such as meditation. As a result, research psychology appears to be taking religious practice more seriously.
有趣的是，有迹象表明研究人员的态度正在改变。 这可能部分归因于诸如冥想之类的基于精神的实践的成功。 结果，研究心理学似乎更加重视宗教实践。