Looking at 15 years of search data, it turns out Ramadan significantly boosts the mental health of entire countries.
While many expect fasting to cause irritability or 'hangry' moods, search data from Muslim-majority countries showed a robust decline in queries related to poor mental health during Ramadan. This suggests that the collective, ritualistic nature of the fast may have a widespread antidepressant effect on society.
A cross-cultural analysis of religious fasting and well-being using 15 years of internet search data
PsyArXiv · bqtvc_v1
Voluntarily abstaining from food—fasting—is historically and cross-culturally widespread and prescribed by many world religions. Yet, its effects on psychological health and well-being remain poorly understood. We analyzed 15 years of internet search data to examine how religious fasts affect society-level well-being across three traditions: Islam (countries with ≥75% Muslim population), Judaism (Israel), and LDS (Utah, USA). We operationalized well-being using composite indices of Google search