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Showing Original Post only (View all)Los Angeles Times: Thinking can undermine religious faith, study finds [View all]
Thinking can undermine religious faith, study finds
Those who think more analytically are less inclined to be religious believers than are those who tend to follow a gut instinct, researchers conclude.
By Amina Khan, Los Angeles Times
April 26, 2012
Scientists have revealed one of the reasons why some folks are less religious than others: They think more analytically, rather than going with their gut. And thinking analytically can cause religious belief to wane for skeptics and true believers alike.
The study, published in Friday's edition of the journal Science, indicates that belief may be a more malleable feature of the human psyche than those of strong faith may think.
The cognitive origins of belief and disbelief traditionally haven't been explored with academic rigor, said lead author Will Gervais, a social psychologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
According to one theory of human thinking, the brain processes information using two systems. The first relies on mental shortcuts by using intuitive responses a gut instinct, if you will to quickly arrive at a conclusion. The other employs deliberative analysis, which uses reason to arrive at a conclusion.
Read the full article at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-religion-analytical-thinking-20120427,0,5374010.story
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Los Angeles Times: Thinking can undermine religious faith, study finds [View all]
Better Believe It
Apr 2012
OP
analytical thinking requires freedom from restraints....nothing can limit the levels of Humanity
opihimoimoi
Apr 2012
#7
So which corporate owned newspapers don't "suck" and do you read, if any?
Better Believe It
Apr 2012
#20
Define "suck" and do all of the articles that appear in the L.A. Times "suck"?
Better Believe It
Apr 2012
#40
If I wanted the corporate slant on current events in L.A. I'll read the Times.
U4ikLefty
Apr 2012
#41
I could stop reading any and all articles that appear in capitalist owned mass media.
Better Believe It
Apr 2012
#43
No. I'm just wondering if one can avoid capitalist indoctrination while reading the mass media.
Better Believe It
Apr 2012
#45
Actually there's been a lot of study done on the two systems of processing information
Bolo Boffin
Apr 2012
#17
Did your gut reaction or conscious reasoning lead you to misunderstand what I said?
AdHocSolver
Apr 2012
#31
As much as I understand this, the LA Times article is overstating what the study shows.
Bolo Boffin
Apr 2012
#19
Well, if two PH.D's believe God built the Earth that proves I must be wrong!
Better Believe It
Apr 2012
#23
"Smart" and "being able to think" are pretty damned synonymous, don't ya think?
Zalatix
Apr 2012
#46
When I have spoken to both fundamentalist Christians and fundamentalist Muslims,
woo me with science
Apr 2012
#22
There are some nature/earth based ones that don't seem to involve begging a god for stuff
Liberal_in_LA
Apr 2012
#50
Belief based on "faith" rather than facts does get in the way of reality.
Better Believe It
Apr 2012
#47