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"Sanctified Slack?": How Religiosity Shapes the Link Between 'Quiet Quitting' and Psychological Distress
Laura Upenieks1, Scott Schieman2
1Department of Sociology, Baylor University, 97326 One Bear Place, Waco, TX, 76798, USA. laura_upenieks@baylor.edu.
Journal of Religion and Health
|June 26, 2026
Summary
Quiet quitting, or minimal work effort, is linked to psychological distress. However, strong beliefs in divine control and religious attendance can mitigate these negative mental health effects for workers.
Area of Science:
- Sociology of Work
- Psychology of Religion
- Occupational Health Psychology
Background:
- Quiet quitting, a post-pandemic labor trend, involves minimal required work effort.
- Its impact on mental health and the moderating role of religion remain underexplored.
- Critiques of 'workism' highlight the need to understand worker disengagement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between quiet quitting and psychological distress.
- To test if religiosity (divine control beliefs, religious attendance) moderates this relationship.
- To integrate research on religion, work, and mental health in the context of modern work life.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 2023 Measuring Employment Sentiments and Social Inequality (MESSI) study (N=1744).
- Employed regression analyses to assess associations and moderation effects.
- Sample represents a cross-section of US workers.
Main Results:
- Two dimensions of quiet quitting (reduced extra effort, unwillingness to work harder) positively correlate with psychological distress.
- Beliefs in divine control significantly buffered the link between quiet quitting and distress.
- Weekly religious attendance reduced distress for those with low extra effort, but not for those unwilling to work harder.
Conclusions:
- Religion acts as a cognitive and social resource, influencing workers' interpretation and experience of disengagement.
- Findings advance understanding of the quality of working life by highlighting religion's role in mitigating distress.
- This research bridges the fields of religion, work, and mental health.
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