The Relation Between Prayer Type and Life Satisfaction in Religious Jewish Men and Women: The Moderating Effects of Prayer Duration and Belief in Prayer

Abstract

The possible moderating functions of prayer duration and belief in prayer on the prayer–well-being relation were examined. A multidimensional self-report measure of prayer including five types of prayer—Supplication, Thanksgiving, Adoration, Confession, and Reception—as well as measures of prayer duration, belief in prayer, and life satisfaction were used. On the basis of a sample of 345 Jewish religious pray-ers living in Israel it was found that for men all five types of prayer were directly related to life satisfaction. No moderating effects were found. In contrast, for women, although no significant direct relations were found between prayer type and life satisfaction, prayer duration moderated the relation between Supplication, Confession, and Reception with life satisfaction. In addition, significant three-way interactions (Prayer Type × Prayer Duration × Prayer Belief) were found for all five types of prayer. For women with a high belief in prayer, a positive prayer—well-being relation emerged when prayer duration was long, and a negative prayer—well-being relation emerged when prayer duration was short. In contrast, for women with a low belief in prayer, the opposite pattern emerged; lengthy prayer was negatively related to well-being, whereas short prayer was positively related to well-being. An explanation based on self-attributions of prayer sincerity is offered.