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Originally Posted by bizaro86
I mean, that article linked multiple peer reviewed studies, so literally that is the relevant statistics. People in wealthy countries with healthy lifestyles also live longer, but that's a separate factor from whether religious observance improves lifespan. There are all sorts of factors that impact lifespan (gender, marital status, exercise, etc). Just because religious observance doesn't outweigh things like good nutrition and health care doesn't make it immaterial.
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At best religion positively affecting lifespan seems like a weak correlation and not a causation. It's not a mystery what is responsible for statistically increasing lifespans across national populations: low food scarcity, universal access to quality healthcare, a healthy national diet, a strong social safety net, and a culture that has good aggregate physical fitness levels. This is why countries that fit the above (like Japan), have statistically longer lifespans despite very low rates of religious participation while countries that do not fit the above (like Brazil and the United States) have statistically shorter lifespans despite higher rates of religious participation.