Spirituality, not religion, makes kids happy

clipped from www.msnbc.msn.com The link between spirituality and happiness is pretty well-established for teens and adults. More spirituality brings more happiness. Now a study has reached into the younger set, finding the same link in "tweens" and in kids in middle childhood. Specifically, the study shows that children who feel that their lives have meaning and value and who develop deep, quality relationships — both measures of spirituality, the researchers claim — are happier.  Personal aspects of spirituality (meaning and value in one's own life) and communal aspects (quality and depth of inter-personal relationships) were both strong predictors of children's happiness, However, religious practices were found to have little effect on children's happiness, Holder said. The relationship between spirituality and happiness remained strong However, counterintuitively, religious practices — including attending church, praying and meditating — had little effect on a child's happiness.