title: Why are religious people happy? The effect of the social norm of religiosity across countries.
abstract: Drawing on social norms theories, we suggest that religiosity substantially increases subjective well-being if it is considered normative in a certain national context. In Study 1, we test this hypothesis using an indicator of a country's social norm of religiosity that includes both the national level of religiosity and the social desirability of religion. The results of a multilevel regression analysis suggest that religious individuals are on average happier and more satisfied with life than non-religious individuals. This effect is stronger in religious countries with dominant negative attitudes towards non-believers. In Study 2, we further examine whether the differences in social recognition of religious and non-religious individuals in countries where religiosity is normative account for this finding. The results of a moderated mediation analysis indicate that in religious countries, religious people report being treated with more respect, which partially explains their higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Economic Psychology, University of Cologne, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, 50923 Cologne, Germany; GK SOCLIFE, University of Cologne, Richard-Strauss-Str. 2, 50931 Cologne, Germany. Electronic address: stavrova@wiso.uni-koeln.de.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Stavrova
authors.forename: Detlef
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fetchenhauer
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schlösser