A couple of years ago, after a service in the University Church in Oxford, I wrote:
'Reflected on forms of prayer – whether reiteration of formulas helps straighten the mind and iron out kinks. Must read what Johnson says on subject. Good literature does the same thing, I think, but more slowly and you have to be exposed to it. Perhaps long exposure of English to Prayer Book liturgy has done something for them, because I think that as people go they are a fairly sane lot.'
Now I read this in New Scientist (May 11, 2013):

‘Feeling run-down? Try a little chanting or meditation – yes, really. Such relaxation techniques can boost the activity of genes that promote good health, and a few minutes each day is enough to show results.’

Yet the benefits, though apparently real, seem to flow only to the practitioner: adherents of religions emphasizing the repetition of rituals or meditation are as prone as anyone to violence against their fellow-person.

Emphasis on the content, rather than the form, of religious observance, while it might do less for you, might do more for others.