Are devout Catholics happier?

I went to mass this morning.  I have such different perspective after having been away from the church essentially for about 15 years. 

One thing that struck me as I sat in on the tail end of the 7 am service waiting for the 8 am service was everyone sat by themselves, a comfortable distance away from each other and, not surprisingly, everyone was old.

I couldn't tell whether or not they were happier than others.  They clearly are regulars which would make them fairly devout, but I wonder if devotion in this case equals happiness.  I wonder if they are happier because they are devout or their devotion guilts them into going to mass frequently.

I think people who have a real faith that there is some sort of God and are thoughtful about their relationship towards God after time and effort will be happier, I just don't know if it works in the Catholic context.

Comments

[Chris Mercer]

Try going to mass a bit more often and see what your perspective on the various individuals you see and the overall "system" might be. Is it fair to go to church once in 15 years and make a comment, one way or the other way or the other? What was the sermon about? What were the readings? What was the music? How did any of this resonate with you? How about the others? And, in the final analysis, after going to mass once in apparently 15 years, are you happier? And I'm not even Catholic, but am a member of the catholic communion. And I went to church last Sunday and the Sunday before. And, regardless of what an observer who may have been looking at me after a 15 year absence, I'm happy and grateful in so many respects. It is hard to be a casual or occasional observer and have any real perspective on what's going on at church -- or at a company.