Religious Observance and Well Being

Cross sectional data suggests that religiously observant people report higher life satisfaction than the religiously unaffiliated. The meaning of this correlation is much debated, however. Some argue that happier people are more likely to engage in religious practices. Others, however, claim that participation in religious practice causes greater well-being. I am looking for research assistant to assist with a field experiment to test this practice. Partnering with a synagogue, we will randomly assign some volunteers to vary their level of religious observance for a few weeks. We will then observe the effects of this exogenous change in religious observance on self-reported and objective measures of well-being. I am searching for RAs to assist with the design, programming, and management of this field experiment.