Pray.com Partners With Renowned Researchers to Study the App's Benefits to Mental Health
LOS ANGELES, October 26, 2022 (Newswire.com) - As the No. 1 app for daily prayer, Pray.com is partnering with renowned researchers to study the benefits that digitally enabled prayer can have on mental health and well-being during the current pandemic-induced mental health crisis. With approximately 26% of the U.S. adult population suffering from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, according to John Hopkins Medicine, and at a time when people are more interconnected digitally than in-person, Pray.com believes it's important to scientifically study the benefits of digital engagement with prayer for the first time.
"We know from experience and the existing anecdotal research, that prayer, meditation and consumption of faith-based content is beneficial to your mental and spiritual well-being," said Founder and CEO Steve Gatena. "We are excited to contribute to the scientific knowledge to further examine the science behind digital prayer and its impacts on mental, physical and spiritual health, an area of research that has been largely overlooked."
Partnering with established scientists in this space, Pray.com will conduct multiple first-of-their-kind studies to assess the impact of digitally-enabled prayer on mental health and wellness, bringing together science around mental health and digital prayer.
Dr. Jennifer Huberty, former Director of Science at Calm, who recently joined Pray.com as Fractional Chief Science Advisor, is leading the company's research efforts in partnership with Dr. Todd Hall, a professor of psychology at Biola University and a faculty affiliate at the Harvard Human Flourishing Program; Dr. Joshua Hook, Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of North Texas; and Dr. Daryl R. Van Tongeren, Associate Professor of Psychology at Hope College.
"I am very passionate about mental health," said Dr. Huberty. "If we can show that spiritual well-being is linked to mental health benefits, then Pray.com, with its spiritual well-being offerings, could be a strategy to help people improve their mental wellness. By understanding its users' needs, the platform gives them an opportunity to connect with others and improve their mental health, which translates into other areas of their lives."
As the first religious mental health and wellness app to do so, Pray.com's purpose in these studies is to drive scientific insight into the impact digitally enabled prayer has on mental health and to use its findings to raise more awareness of ways to strengthen mental health by practicing the healthy habit of daily prayer.
About Pray.com
Founded in 2016 with a mission to grow faith and cultivate community, Pray.com is the world's No. 1 app for daily prayer and Bible-based audio content. It recently launched a 24/7 live-streaming video channel, PrayTV. Reaching more than 10 million people worldwide through its mobile app and website, Pray.com is the easiest way to incorporate prayer into your daily life. Pray.com provides encouragement and inspiration through daily devotionals, Pastor podcasts, and Bedtime Bible Stories. Pray.com founders are Steve Gatena, Mike Lynn, Ryan Beck and Matthew Potter. See more at www.pray.com/discover.
Source: Pray.com
