By Richard Willing, USA TODAY

The reward of going to church might be a longer wait for heaven.

Regular worshipers live 10% longer than those who never attend services, says a national study to be published next month.

Life expectancy for weekly churchgoers is 82, and 83 for those who attend more than once a week, according to "Religious Involvement and U.S. Adult Mortality," to be published in the May issue of Demography magazine, a professional journal.

Nonchurchgoers, the survey finds, live an average of 75 years.

The study, by population researchers at the Universities of Texas and Colorado and Florida State University, tracked 22,000 regular and occasional worshipers and nonworshipers over nine years. Its authors believe it is the first national study of religion's links to longevity.

Some of the trend might be explained by external factors. For instance, the authors note that chronically ill people and others most likely to die often are unable to attend church regularly.

The study's authors also adjusted findings for respondents' incomes, alcohol and tobacco use; marital status; and even body mass. Even so, they found that nonworshipers have the highest risk of death and that risk decreases as church attendance increases.

"We think there is some cause and effect going on here, beyond health and socioeconomics," says Robert Hummer, a sociologist at the University of Texas and one of the authors. "It does seem that behavior is influenced by church or religious involvement, (and) that affects life expectancy."

The Rev. Peter Laarman, senior minister at Judson Memorial Church in New York City, calls the findings fascinating."

"I hope people who come to services are growing in wisdom and statue and...that has something to do with it," says Laarman, a Congregationalist.

The study included Christian and non-Christian worshipers.

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