Why do religious teens engage in less risky behavior? A psychologist explains.

Researchers have long known that religious teens are less likely to engage in risky behavior. My team’s research explains why.We surveyed multiple times the religious beliefs and risk behavior of over 1,400 teens from Florida between 2010 and 2012. Although the majority of our sample self-identified as Christian, many of the teens identified as belonging to other religious groups or as nonreligious.Our work has focused on risky behaviors – such as using alcohol, drugs and tobacco &nd