00:00Normally, God promises us eternal life, that when we leave this world we will end up
00:05in a better place, where the suffering we experienced on earth will be a mere memory.
00:10And it sounds great, really, but unfortunately we don't know if it's true or not. Faith is the
00:14The only one we have. There's no way to prove it, at least not today. But yes
00:19There are things we can prove. And one of them is that following God, any God,
00:24It makes us live longer and live better. I'll tell you.
00:27Welcome, I am Albert Chamena, I am a neuroscientist and my intention is to bring science and
00:31spirituality to show everyone that they are much closer than we think.
00:36Today I'm bringing you a topic that fascinates me. Faith not only moves mountains, it lengthens your life.
00:42It is a phenomenon that occurs all over the world and in all religions. Let's see what
00:46It's happening here. But hey, before we start, if you like this kind of content, subscribe,
00:50Give it a like and activate the bell so that the algorithm shows you all the time what
00:54We're doing. We upload videos every week. Now, let's continue with today's video.
00:58Faith will take you far.
01:00Harvard, April 1996. Professor Shan Shan Li enters the Chan College of Public Health
01:08associated with Harvard University. And talking with his lab colleagues, he became
01:13A question. Religious people live longer and no one can stop Li. And 74,534 women of all ages
01:20The United States joined the experiment to answer that question. That experiment
01:25It was simply a matter of asking them every two years for 16 years whether they go to mass often or not. And in 2016
01:32The results are out. Those who attended religious activities more than once a
01:36the week were three times less likely to die than those who did not.
01:41Once Li was doing his experiment on one hand, the brilliant doctor Jing Chen
01:46asked the same thing. She managed to gather 66,492 participants, also Americans but
01:52This time with men. But she broadened the focus, not only studying mortality, but
01:57who went further and studied mental, psychological, social and behavioral health.
02:02And what did Chen see? Well, something beautiful.
02:04But before telling you what Chen found, we have to travel to Israel, specifically to
02:08the city of Bnei Brak. A phenomenon is occurring in this city that has caught the attention of
02:12scientists. It turns out that it is a population very rich in Haredi practitioners, a branch
02:18Ultra-Orthodox Judaism, which follows Jewish law, Halaha, quite strictly.
02:23which forces them to maintain a lifestyle quite different from the rest of the population.
02:27Well, in Bnei Brak life expectancy is between 1.5 and 3 times higher than expected.
02:32depending on their socioeconomic conditions. But in Tibet, thousands of kilometers away
02:36and with a completely different culture, scientists in February 2025 found
02:41something super surprising. It turns out that the elderly who have some in their families
02:47Buddhist monk living with them, had a 69% lower mortality rate than
02:53the elderly who did not have any monks in their house.
02:56Let's see, what's going on? From what we see, faith makes you live more, but also
03:00to the people around you. Well, to answer this question we have to go back to Chen and his
03:04experiment with 66,000 men and women. Not only did I observe that practicing Christians
03:09lived longer than non-practitioners. He also found that they had a lower risk of depression,
03:14of anxiety and loneliness. While they were more socially integrated, they were more optimistic
03:20and they had a purpose. And here's the key. But before you look at this key, remember that
03:25On this channel we upload videos every week and we stay away from gossip, noise and
03:29lies. Here we simply want to show you how science and spirituality are
03:34Closer than ever. And living well is easier than we think. Now, let's continue.
03:39with the video. You'll go far.
03:43As I always tell you in all the videos, everyone can find the key again
03:46time. And God in Christianity, Adonai in Judaism or other spiritual practices
03:52as the goal of nirvana in Buddhism, are the perfect force. Who heals you, who heals you
03:57It gives you that balance and makes you happier and live longer. It's not God, it's you. He's just your guide.
04:03In the studies of Li, Chen, Jews and Tibetans common things occur, which also
04:09We see this in Hindu and Muslim communities. Participants who pray the most and are more religious
04:14practice a week are also those who smoke less, drink less alcohol and do not consume
04:20harmful substances. In addition to having a better diet, they are usually vegetarians. And they generate networks
04:26Very strong support systems that reduce isolation and loneliness. For them, for you, God
04:32or your religion is the glue that binds you to others and makes you more compassionate with yourself
04:37yourself and with all other living beings on earth. And that makes you live more and more
04:41happy. You probably know this story, but there are some places on the planet where the
04:45population lives longer than the rest. These sites are called blue dots and each of them
04:49explains how their culture pushes them to live longer. Well, they all agree on one thing
04:54thing. Everyone has a purpose in life. They know why they get up every day and what
04:59is your role in this world. When you are a practicing religious person, whether you are a Christian,
05:03Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, it's pretty simple to know your purpose. But when you're a
05:09atheist, agnostic, or non-practicing person, perhaps more difficult. But there are still methods
05:15that can help you know that purpose. One of them is Ikigai, which I quote thanks
05:19You are watching this video because I spent a month traveling in India just to
05:23find it and discovered that this was my purpose. If you want me to make a video explaining how
05:28I got it and how you can get it, leave it in the comments. For everything else,
05:31Now it's your turn. Could you have imagined that praying would make you live longer? Have you experienced it?
05:35You, in your own flesh or with your family? Do you pray or meditate? I'll read you in the comments.
05:39If you want more videos like this, don't forget to subscribe and hit the bell. Remember
05:43that everyone can find balance again and that we also upload videos every day
05:46the weeks on Instagram and TikTok. See you next week with more science from
05:50from Human Perspective. Bye!
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