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Sure, going to church will get you closer to God ... but did you know it may also help you resist flirting with the hot bartender, polishing off a package of doughnuts or giving the finger to the driver who cut you off in traffic?

A new survey from the University of Miami looks at eight decades of research linking religious belief and self-control. Researchers around the world have found that being religious is almost like a natural drug -- it's connected to doing better in school, living longer, having more satisfying marriages and being happier.

Click here to learn more about the link.

Prayer, meditation and control
One reason for the connection is physiological: Brain scans show that prayer and meditation enhance activity in areas of the brain responsible for self-regulation, emotion and attention control.

It's not just about sitting down to meditate and connecting with any old spiritual force, though -- strongly religious people scored higher in conscientiousness and self-control than those who defined themselves as spiritual. This indicates that the institutions and rituals of organized religion play a huge part in the development of self-control.

"Church has taught me to not only exercise self-control with bad habits but to spend a portion of the day in prayer and scripture reading as well as giving in service to others," says lifelong churchgoer AnnaLaura of Utah.

Religion vs. temptation
The sacred, higher values of religion also help followers avoid temptation and exercise control -- and maybe not just because those religions come with a set of, oh, say, ten rules handed down on stone tablets.

One study found that people were slower to recognize temptation words (drugs, premarital sex) after they'd first seen religious terms (God, prayer, Bible). When the experiment was reversed, the opposite applied: Students recognized religious words more quickly after they'd been shown temptation words. Researchers conclude that religion is connected with avoiding temptation, and subconsciously works to clear such sinful thoughts from the mind.

Anecdotal evidence disagrees
Of course, any creepy guy will tell you that religious girls are the wildest, so there are certainly exceptions. It may just be that religion's strict doctrines "help" people become conscious of their less-than-holy impulses. So after they do let loose, they're more aware (and burdened by good old God-fueled guilt) and are better able to ID it next time it occurs.

"Regardless of my religious beliefs, I certainly drank and did all the things young people do. And even now, while not much of a drinker, my biggest problem is probably my compulsivity," says Beatrice of New York, who has attended church for the last 20 years. "So I'm definitely not holier-than-thou woman. Maybe compared to others I have a decent amount of self control, but that's something maybe we all can work on, whether we go to church or not!"

Tell us: Do you think self-control (or lack thereof) is related to religion in your own life, or are the two totally unconnected?