New study links belief in religion and magic to stress

From supernatural to super-neurotic.

Researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom set out to determine whether paranormal beliefs — whether in religion, witchcraft or New Age spirituality — are an indicator of how well people manage stress.

They found a link between a set of beliefs and a reduced ability to cope with stressors.

Study participants were asked to complete a questionnaire called the Paranormal Belief Scale-Revised. The scale measures the degree of belief in each of these seven categories: traditional religious belief, psi, magic, superstition, spiritualism, extraordinary life forms, and precognition.

These are further divided into dimensions: The first, “traditional” paranormal belief, includes religious belief and magic. The second, new age philosophy, includes such things as spirituality, precognition, and extraordinary life forms.

A quarter of US adults consider themselves superstitious, and recent trends show that young people are more superstitious than older adults.

Research team leader Kenneth Drinkwater, Ph.D., and his colleagues had 3,084 people complete questionnaires assessing various aspects of perceived stress.

Their findings, published today in the journal PLOS ONE, found that those who scored higher on traditional paranormal belief reported elevated levels of worry and reduced ability to manage stress.

However, belief in New Age philosophies, including PSI, was not associated with increased distress and/or decreased coping ability.

Previous research has suggested that, in general, belief in the paranormal is not related to vulnerability to stress. However, research on superstitious belief, a subset of paranormal belief, has suggested that people rely on superstition in stressful situations to gain an illusion of control over outcomes.

As an article IN International Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences says, “Controversies have their roots in the youth of our species, when our ancestors could not understand the forces and whims of [the] the natural world. The survival of our ancestors threatened by predators or other natural forces.”

These latter findings are consistent with the idea that traditional paranormal beliefs are an answer to feelings of anxiety related to an individual’s lack of control over external forces.

The research team notes that this study is exploratory and does not support any causal relationship.

The study authors state that more research is needed to fully understand the link between stress and paranormal beliefs, as these beliefs have a direct impact on behavior and attitudes, including responses to conspiracy theories, alternative medicine and anti-vaccination agendas.

The authors add, “The findings support the notion that traditional paranormal belief is related to external control, particularly the notion that unknown supernatural forces/powers influence existence. However, additional research is still needed to further explore these fascinating relationships regarding perceived stress, well-being, and coping styles.”