Belief in Reincarnation Tied to Memory Errors

[TechBear_Seattle]

Belief in Reincarnation Tied to Memory Errors

People who believe they have lived past lives as, say, Indian princesses or battlefield commanders are more likely to make certain types of memory errors, according to a new study.

The propensity to make these mistakes could, in part, explain why people cling to implausible reincarnation claims in the first place.

Researchers recruited people who, after undergoing hypnotic therapy, had come to believe that they had past lives.

Subjects were asked to read aloud a list of 40 non-famous names, and then, after a two-hour wait, told that they were going to see a list consisting of three types of names: non-famous names they had already seen (from the earlier list), famous names, and names of non-famous people that they had not previously seen. Their task was to identify which names were famous.

The researchers found that, compared to control subjects who dismissed the idea of reincarnation, past-life believers were almost twice as likely to misidentify names. In particular, their tendency was to wrongly identify as famous the non-famous names they had seen in the first task. This kind of error, called a source-monitoring error, indicates that a person has difficulty recognizing where a memory came from.

The full article can be read at http://www.livescience.com/othernews/070406_past_lives.html

[soothsayer]

1. maybe they recognize the 'non-famous' names as significant

figures from their past lives...!

[SpiralHawk]

3. I subscribed to that theory in my last lifetime

And I will probably subscribe to it again in my next lifetime.

But for now, whatever...

[cosmik debris]

2. Perhaps that explains why

Reincarnation claims are always glamorous. I've never heard anyone claim to be a reincarnated slave or serf who died at the age of 11 from cholera.

[SpiralHawk]

4. That's me! How did you know?

You must be a clairvoyant in this lifetime...

[cosmik debris]

5. No, but I was in a previous life

As an Egyptian Pharaoh

[TechBear_Seattle]

6. I was Shirley McLaine in a past life

:rofl:

[cosmik debris]

8. Maybe you still are

and you just don't recognize yourself. Memory may be faulty. Or so you say.

[cyborg_jim]

7. Past lives? Pffft...

I am currently living three lives simultaneously. Beat that!

[kwassa]

9. So, any practicing Hindi had memory errors?

That's only a few hundred million people.

Funny how they are all concentrated in mostly just one area.

[cyborg_jim]

10. Yeah, and everyone who is say they're a Christian believes the Holy Spook is talking to them

[greyl]

12. No, have you already forgotten details of the study? ;)

Researchers recruited people who, after undergoing hypnotic therapy, had come to believe that they had past lives.

.....

The researchers found that, compared to control subjects who dismissed the idea of reincarnation, past-life believers were almost twice as likely to misidentify names. In particular, their tendency was to wrongly identify as famous the non-famous names they had seen in the first task. This kind of error, called a source-monitoring error, indicates that a person has difficulty recognizing where a memory came from.

www.livescience.com/othernews/070406_past_lives.html

[cosmik debris]

13. When I learned Logic

That was called the "general to specific" fallacy.Now it seems to have a different name. Times change

http://www.logicalfallacies.info/fallacyofdivision.html

[TechBear_Seattle]

18. The study was about personal belief, not religious belief

There is a big difference between believing in reincarnation as a theological principle, and believing in reincarnation because you think you actually remember past lives. It is much like believing in extraterrestrial intelligence as a scientific possibility and believing in extraterrestrial intelligence because you think you were abducted.

[kwassa]

20. I agree with you, but the thread is really mistitled, as was the article

TechBear_Seattle:
"It is much like believing in extraterrestrial intelligence as a scientific possibility and believing in extraterrestrial intelligence because you think you were abducted"

I think a religious believer might see it as more than just a possibility, however. To them it is a truth, perhaps a literal truth.

[TechBear_Seattle]

21. The thread is titled the same as the article itself

I am not arguing, just reiterating my personal policy when posting news stories. :hi:

[Silent3]

11. I remember a past life as a simple serf...

...in medieval Europe. It wasn't glamorous at all. Bad food (and precious little of that), short brutish lives, nothing but dial-up access to the internet.

[cosmik debris]

15. I remember you.

You were that little scamp that kept poaching on my game preserve.

I've got you now. You can't get away this time!

[raccoon]

14. I used to believe in reincarnation.

When I was in college and in my 20's.

I thought next time I'd have a better life.

Then on the other hand, next time might really suck. I might be born into some Third World desperately poor country, with physical and/or mental problems, etc.

Thank goodness I don't believe in it any more! :silly:


Seriously, I don't believe in reincarnation.

[cosmik debris]

16. I thought you were going to say

I used to believe in reincarnation. In a past life. But I don't anymore.

[raccoon]

19. That's good! nt

[TlalocW]

17. All the people I know who believe in reincarnation

Are always reincarnated from either famous people or if not famous (because of the lack of record-keeping in that particular epoch), they were at least important people like warrior-chieftains.

Reincarnation is just SCA for people too lazy to make medieval costumes. :)

TlalocW