2012-09-11 12:55:24
Analytical thinking affects religiosity
An important topic, not normally addressed in the media, is the relationship between science and religion. This relationship can also be analyzed scientifically and, in fact, is the subject of growing interest in science.
The relationship between religion and science can be approached from at least two points of view. The first is the analysis of the conflicts between some religious beliefs and the knowledge revealed by science. The current defending creationism or intelligent design, in the USA, which opposes evolutionism defended by science, is an example. In this case, the debate between science and religion focuses on the reality of the outside world.
A second point of view to address the relationship between science and religion is the individual cognitive aspect, that is, studying and explaining the factors that can influence each person’s religiosity. From the point of view of the religion with which I am most familiar this matter has been explained in various ways, but one is the assumption that faith is a divine gift (I am a Christian by the grace of God); and its absence, the fall into the temptations of evil. However, from the point of view of science, this type of explanation, which presupposes the very belief in a supernatural being that it attempts to defend, is not satisfactory. Science needs analytical studies that corroborate or refute reasonable hypotheses.
TWO WAYS OF THINKING
According to the dual theory of the thought process, there are two fundamental ways of thinking that we are surely familiar with. The first is based on intuitive thinking: we don’t know why, but we are convinced that certain things are like this and not otherwise. The second way of thinking is based on an analytical process: we conclude that things are like this after a detailed and slow logical analysis of the data we have about reality.
Previous studies on the psychology of faith have shown that a diverse set of intuitive cognitive processes form the basis of beliefs in supernatural beings, across the world’s diverse cultures and religions. These intuitive processes are related to theology, mind-body dualism, psychological immortality and mental perception.
Personal experience, but also recent scientific evidence, indicate that when the analytical procedure is applied, it normally dominates over the intuitive one. In other words, our intuitions are abandoned after a critical analysis of them; not the other way around. Intuitions do not usually replace a rational analysis of things. With these premises, researchers from the University of British Columbia, in Canada, approach the study of whether stimulating analytical thinking can negatively affect religious beliefs. The studies carried out, due to their scientific quality and design, have merited publication in the prestigious journal Science, which is a guarantee of their solidity. Let’s see what they have revealed.
ANALYTICAL THINKING AND FAITH
To corroborate or refute their hypothesis, researchers approach several different strategies with subjects belonging to various cultures and religions on the planet. First, they study whether differences in individual tendencies to think analytically are related to religious beliefs. To assess the tendency toward analytical thinking, the scientists subjected the volunteers to three problems that invited a quick and easy, but incorrect, intuitive solution. The correct solution could only be reached through an analytical procedure, which had to overcome the initial intuition.
After completing these tasks, the subjects’ religiosity was evaluated in three different ways, with psychological tests accepted and validated for this purpose by the scientific community. The results of this study demonstrated that the greater the tendency to use analytical thinking, the less religiosity the subjects showed, regardless of their cultural origin.
A second strategy used subtle psychological manipulations to spur analytical thinking. One of these manipulations consisted of showing photographs of the statue of The Thinker, by Rodin, or the Greek Discobolus before solving a problem. It was already known by researchers that showing the photograph of The Thinker, no matter how incredible it may seem, stimulates the ability to correctly solve logical problems, something that showing the Discobolus does not do. Well, this type of unconscious cognitive manipulations resulted in a decrease in religiosity when performing the tests that measured it.
Thus, it seems that the capacity for analytical thinking negatively affects religiosity, even when this type of thinking is stimulated unconsciously. However, as with all good scientific studies, the authors warn of their limitations and that the conclusions should be considered with caution. Among other things, the authors warn that analytical thinking is not the only cause of lower religiosity, and that other psychological factors can also affect it. The authors also comment that their studies say nothing about the possible positive effect, in some cases, of analytical thinking on religiosity.
In any case, and this is my own comment, it seems that the resolution of the conflicts between science and religion can only be achieved through the reconciliation of intuitive and analytical thoughts, something that I consider difficult to achieve.
WORKS BY JORGE LABORDA.
One Moon, one civilization. Why the Moon tells us that we are alone in the Universe
One Moon one civilization why the Moon tells us we are alone in the universe
The intelligence funnel and other essays
The thousand and one bases of DNA and other scientific stories
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