<P> Some religions claim that praying for somebody who is sick can have positive effects on the health of the person being prayed for . Meta - studies of the literature in the field have been performed showing evidence only for no effect or a potentially small effect . For instance, a 2006 meta analysis on 14 studies concluded that there is "no discernible effect" while a 2007 systemic review of intercessory prayer reported inconclusive results, noting that 7 of 17 studies had "small, but significant, effect sizes" but the review noted that the most methodologically rigorous studies failed to produce significant findings . </P> <P> Randomized controlled trials of intercessory prayer have not yielded significant effects on health . These trials have compared personal, focused, committed and organized intercessory prayer with those interceding holding some belief that they are praying to God or a god versus any other intervention . A Cochrane collaboration review of these trials concluded that 1) results were equivocal, 2) evidence does not support a recommendation either in favor or against the use of intercessory prayer and 3) any resources available for future trials should be used to investigate other questions in health research . In a case - control study done following 5,286 Californians over a 28 - year period in which variables were controlled for (i.e. age, race / ethnicity, gender, education level), participants who went to church on a frequent basis (defined as attending a religious service once a week or more) were 36% less likely to die during that period . However, this can be partly be attributed to a better lifestyle since religious people tend to drink and smoke less and eat a healthier diet . </P> <P> Evidence suggests that religiosity can be a pathway to both mental health and mental disorder . For example, religiosity is positively associated with mental disorders that involve an excessive amount of self - control and negatively associated with mental disorders that involve a lack of self - control . Other studies have found indications of mental health among both the religious and the secular . For instance, Vilchinsky & Kravetz found negative correlations with psychological distress among religious and secular subgroups of Jewish students . In addition, intrinsic religiosity has been inversely related to depression in the elderly, while extrinsic religiosity has no relation or even a slight positive relation to depression . Religiosity has been found to mitigate the negative impact of injustice and income inequality on life satisfaction . </P> <P> The link between religion and mental health may be due to the guiding framework or social support that it offers to individuals . By these routes, religion has the potential to offer security and significance in life, as well as valuable human relationships, to foster mental health . Some theorists have suggested that the benefits of religion and religiosity are accounted for by the social support afforded by membership in a religious group . </P>

Which of the following is not a component of health a. spiritual