Abstract 
 
 We examined whether changes in different forms of social participation were associated with changes in depressive symptoms in older Europeans. We used lagged individual fixed-effects models based on data from 9,068 persons aged ≥50 years in wave 1 (2004/2005), wave 2 (2006/2007), and wave 4 (2010/2011) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). After we controlled for a wide set of confounders, increased participation in religious organizations predicted a decline in depressive symptoms (EURO-D Scale; possible range, 0–12) 4 years later (β = −0.190 units, 95% confidence interval: −0.365, −0.016), while participation in political/community organizations was associated with an increase in depressive symptoms (β = 0.222 units, 95% confidence interval: 0.018, 0.428). There were no significant differences between European regions in these associations. Our findings suggest that social participation is associated with depressive symptoms, but the direction and strength of the association depend on the type of social activity. Participation in religious organizations may offer mental health benefits beyond those offered by other forms of social participation. 

 A new study suggests joining a religious organization is better for mental health than volunteering or playing sports. 
 
 The same study found that joining a community organization, such as a political club, actually decreased happiness in the long run. 
 
 The study, conducted by researchers at the London School of Economics and the Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands, was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology this spring. 
 
 Researchers focused on European adults ages 50 and above. They looked at data for 9,000 people, analyzing ways different social activities influenced the subjects' moods. Researchers put the social activities into four categories: 
 
 Volunteering or charitable work Taking educational or training courses Participation in religious organizations Participation in political or community organizations 
 
 Participating in a religious organization was the only social activity associated with sustained happiness. Past studies have shown that being socially engaged is good for mental health, but this new study suggests that the benefits might vary between activities. 
 
 "One of the most puzzling findings is that although healthier people are more likely to volunteer, we found no evidence that volunteering actually leads to better mental health," Mauricio Avendano said in a press release. "It may be that any benefits are outweighed by other negative impacts of volunteering, such as stress." 
 
 It's not clear whether the benefits come from faith itself or from being in a religious community, researchers said in the study. 
 
 Faith groups can provide a sense of belonging and purpose. Participating in a religious organization can influence lifestyle choices, researchers said, and help older people cope with illness and death. 
 
 So why might involvement in a political or community club result in longterm unhappiness? Researchers said that trend might be explained by a sense of futility. 
 
 Study subjects saw mental health benefits at first, perhaps because they felt optimistic. But by the time the study concluded, those subjects expressed increased unhappiness, possibly because they put forth a lot of effort for little reward. 
 
 -- Melissa Binder 
 
 mbinder@oregonian.com 
 
 503-294-7656 
 
 @binderpdx
– Attending a church, synagogue, or mosque may be better for one's mental health than engaging in sports, furthering one's education, or volunteering. So say researchers at the London School of Economics and Erasmus MC, who studied the effects of these four types of activities on the mental health of 9,000 Europeans aged 50 and older. Reporting in the American Journal of Epidemiology, they also found that some activities, like joining a community organization like a political group, appear to result in less happiness in the long run. "The church appears to play a very important social role in keeping depression at bay and also as a coping mechanism during periods of illness in later life," says epidemiologist Dr Mauricio Avendano, who notes religious activities were the only type to contribute to sustained happiness. Researchers admit the study's sample size is small, and they were not investigating why but rather whether these four types of activities influence happiness. They do not note whether people in the study were new to these activities or whether there was crossover between them, but they do posit a few theories. "It is not clear to us how much this is about religion per se, or whether it may be about the sense of belonging and not being socially isolated," says Avendano, who adds that this participation can influence lifestyle choices, reports the Oregonian. As for political organizations, he says: "Participants receive a higher sense of reward when they first join an organization, but if it involves a lot of effort and they don’t get much in return, the benefits may wear off after some time." (Here's what 53,000 kids say about happiness.)