The Power of Presence: Well-being and Biopsychosocial Effects of Virtual versus In-Person Religious Services.

Objective: Although the benefits of in-person religious service attendance are well-documented, the well-being and biopsychosocial effects of virtual worship – more frequent since the COVID-19 pandemic - remain largely unexplored. This study examines the impact of attending virtual versus in-person worship.Methods: In a preregistered experiment, 43 adult Christians attended both virtual and in-person church services in a randomized order. Participants wore Fitbits to measure heart rate and calories burned and completed post-service surveys assessing social, affective, and well-being outcomes.Results: Virtual services resulted in lower transcendent experiences and emotions, shared identity with the congregation, and closeness with God compared to in-person attendance. Physiologically, virtual worship led to lower heart rates and fewer calories burned, indicating reduced embodied engagement. However, well-being scores remained similar.Conclusions: Virtual worship may not fully replicate in-person experiences. Further research is needed to assess long-term well-being effects and implications for religious engagement.