Do you believe in psychics, ghosts, or communication with the dead? If so, you may be experiencing a high level of stress or feel a loss of control over your life, according to a study in PLOS ONE.
While the studyâ€s authors took great pains to emphasize that the beliefs in paranormal phenomena are not necessarily caused by stress or feelings of having no control, they point out that the relationship between the two are strong.
“Findings support the notion that traditional paranormal belief is associated with external control, specifically the notion that unknown supernatural forces/powers influence existence,†the authors of the study said in a press release.
Trust in Science?
Why is this important? Higher levels of paranormal belief typically equate with a lower level of trust in science. That, in turn, could increase trust in unproven alternative medical approaches and conspiracy theories, and decrease trust in vaccines, as well as other conventional medical approaches.
Measuring belief in the paranormal can be tricky. Does a person accept, say, poltergeists, but not extrasensory perception? If so, to what extent?
Previous studies have tried to establish similar relationships between stress and credence in the paranormal and examine the psychology of such beliefs. Many of those studies reached similar conclusions. But one key difficulty lies in the weeds of such studies†methodologies. For instance, should questionnaires ask about every possible paranormal belief? And, if so, how should such beliefs be ranked?
Read More: Ghost Busted: When Science Meets Paranormal Activity
Examining Attitudes About the Paranormal
The new study attempts to avoid that thicket. Rather than trying to rank particular paranormal beliefs, the new study examines peoples†general attitudes toward provable versus non-provable concepts. It also shoots for stronger statistical significance, because it included 3,084 participants. In general, the larger the sample size in such studies, the greater the chances are that the outcome will be statistically significant.
The researchers also used another variable — belief in New Age philosophy — to see if that would track with attitudes about the paranormal. It turns out that the New Age adherents surveyed did not also report a statistically significant amount of stress or loss of control over their lives.
The next step will be on establishing a cause-and-effect relationship between stress and belief systems. “Additional research is still needed if we are to further explore these fascinating relationships in connection to perceived stress, wellbeing and coping styles,†the authors said in a press release.
Read More: Are People More Prone to Supernatural Thinking if They Believe in the Afterlife?
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Before joining Discover Magazine, Paul spent over 20 years as a science journalist, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global scientific career issues. He began his career in newspapers, but switched to scientific magazines. His work has appeared in publications including Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.
