According to a new Gallup Poll, the people who are happiest are those who regularly go to a place of worship, whether it be a church, mosque or synagogue.

Churchgoers' positive emotions are especially high on Sundays -- while everyone else actually sees a decline in mood on that day, according to the Poll.

The Gallup researchers also noted that positive emotions hit a high on the weekends, compared to weekdays, for both churchgoers and non-churchgoers.

The researchers hypothesized that these findings may arise because churchgoers are around their friends on Sunday, thereby boosting socialization and their moods.

"Until now, I believed religion was a matter of faith; people had little 'practical' use for religion," study researcher Kevin Rounding, a psychology graduate student at the university, said in a statement. "This research actually suggests that religion can serve a very useful function in society. People can turn to religion not just for transcendence and fears regarding death and an after-life but also for practical purposes."

(From The Huffington Post)

More From The New 96.1 WTSS