Prayer is a pretty universal human activity. Even if you don’t pray formally I’m sure you’re very familiar with prayers in places of worship, or in peoples homes. You’ve probably seen athletes whispering prayers and turning their eyes up to the heavens at the start line, or holding their hands high in thanks after crossing the finishing line first.
There are many types of prayer, some learned by heart and recited, others personal and spontaneous. However I think there are at least two genres of prayer which most of us engage with, and both have been shown in many studies to have beneficial effects on health and quality of life.
The two are hope and gratitude.
Without hope life shrivels up. When all hope is lost people collapse, disintegrate or even die. I think hope is an essential aspect of a healthy life. We all need a reason to get up in the morning, a belief that our children and grandchildren can live healthy flourishing lives.
Gratitude and the practice of writing a gratitude journal is a powerful way to improve quality of life. It focuses us on what’s positive, makes us pay attention to the daily small wonders and delights. It’s an antidote to frustration and discontent.
Heroes Not Zombies 
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