Made a Mistake? No Problem, God Loves You. But Not Atheists

[Recusant]

I found this story amusing.  In the study (two similar experiments), some of the test subjects were "primed" with thoughts of God, then given tasks which would inevitably result in making some mistakes.  The religious who had been "primed" were less prone to reactions of anxiety over their mistakes than those who had not been similarly prepared.  However, the atheists who had been prepared in this way actually showed stronger anxiety reactions.

I think that this may be another clue to the basis of religion from an evolutionary standpoint.  Apparently, belief in a deity can help a person worry less about making mistakes, once they've been made.  Less worry and stress leaves you better able to cope with problems coming down the pike.  The cumulative effect might be fairly substantial, and would have survival value.

From the article:
Atheists shouldn’t despair, though. “We think this can occur with any meaning system that provides structure and helps people understand their world.” Maybe atheists would do better if they were primed to think about their own beliefs, he says.

Perhaps, but what "beliefs" would those be?  There is no simple mantra like "God loves me" which can serve as a security blanket for atheists.  Somehow, "God likely doesn't exist" just doesn't have the same warm-fuzziness about it. "We make our own meaning in the universe" is a little better, but still seems to lack something.  I'm not sure that atheism can supply the same soothing effect that religion seems to provide for believers.

[SSY]

I agree, my brand of atheism is not comforting at all, I'm sure a nice fuzzy religious delusion would make me happier most of the time.

About the survival impact though, worrying less once a mistake has been made would certainly be of benefit, but maybe the extra worry in atheists will help to prevent them making those mistakes again? Making less mistakes would certainly have a significant survival benefit to counter the worry after mistakes.

[The Magic Pudding]

Sometimes people think more than what's good for them, in a sense.
An atheist may be affected by this more than most, they don't accept the story offered, they have a problem with it.
But not paying heed to your mistakes could get you dead.

It may not have been here but I read a thread where golfers putting did better if they were told their ball was lucky.
Thinking too much on a short putt can be a disadvantage.

If I was "primed with thoughts of God” I may feel anxious before I made a mistake.

[Ned]

I found this story amusing.  In the study (two similar experiments), some of the test subjects were "primed" with thoughts of God, then given tasks which would inevitably result in making some mistakes.  The religious who had been "primed" were less prone to reactions of anxiety over their mistakes than those who had not been similarly prepared.  However, the atheists who had been prepared in this way actually showed stronger anxiety reactions.

I think that this may be another clue to the basis of religion from an evolutionary standpoint.  Apparently, belief in a deity can help a person worry less about making mistakes, once they've been made.  Less worry and stress leaves you better able to cope with problems coming down the pike.  The cumulative effect might be fairly substantial, and would have survival value.

From the article:
Atheists shouldn’t despair, though. “We think this can occur with any meaning system that provides structure and helps people understand their world.” Maybe atheists would do better if they were primed to think about their own beliefs, he says.

Perhaps, but what "beliefs" would those be?  There is no simple mantra like "God loves me" which can serve as a security blanket for atheists.  Somehow, "God likely doesn't exist" just doesn't have the same warm-fuzziness about it. "We make our own meaning in the universe" is a little better, but still seems to lack something.  I'm not sure that atheism can supply the same soothing effect that religion seems to provide for believers.

Man, War of the Worlds was just a movie... with Tom Cruise!

[hismikeness]

About the survival impact though, worrying less once a mistake has been made would certainly be of benefit, but maybe the extra worry in atheists will help to prevent them making those mistakes again? Making less mistakes would certainly have a significant survival benefit to counter the worry after mistakes.

That's what I was thinking. Feeling less anxious about a mistake because one was God-primed (good band name!) and the survival advantages thereof, to me, aren't as valuable as the learning from those mistakes, regardless of the anxiety involved with said mistake.

Besides, I feel like the ability to properly handle anxiety is something that is learned; in my experience it was through the experience of massive face-palm mistakes.

If the belief in a deity and the "passing off" of mistakes to its likeness was a conscious decision by early humans, it is interesting to wonder what came first? The deity or the help it provided?

[philosoraptor]

Religious people worry less?  That's news to me.  I think I was more anxious when I believed in God, because every time I did something wrong I worried I would go to hell for it.  I worried that people I loved would go to hell for not believing.  On the whole, I was much more anxious as a believer than I am now as an atheist.

[Sophus]

Religious people worry less? That's news to me. I think I was more anxious when I believed in God, because every time I did something wrong I worried I would go to hell for it. I worried that people I loved would go to hell for not believing. On the whole, I was much more anxious as a believer than I am now as an atheist.

Same here. I always worried about upsetting the almighty. Even the simplest every day decisions when it came to social interaction worried me because I was obsessed with there being a Right and a Wrong way to go about everything. But this study's results make sense to me because religion must have some sort of feel-good, redemption appeal to it. (See Ashton Kutcher quote below)

[notself]

From the article:
Atheists shouldn’t despair, though. “We think this can occur with any meaning system that provides structure and helps people understand their world.” Maybe atheists would do better if they were primed to think about their own beliefs, he says.

Perhaps, but what "beliefs" would those be?  There is no simple mantra like "God loves me" which can serve as a security blanket for atheists.  Somehow, "God likely doesn't exist" just doesn't have the same warm-fuzziness about it. "We make our own meaning in the universe" is a little better, but still seems to lack something.  I'm not sure that atheism can supply the same soothing effect that religion seems to provide for believers.

I have three comments on the article.  
The first is about the glaring absence of information regarding who performed better on the task.  Was it those who were relaxed about making mistakes who did better or those who were anxious because the didn't want to make mistakes?  

Second, there should have been two other groups for this experiment to be properly controlled.  There should have been a group of theist who were subjected to a discussion about atheism and there should have been a group who discussed the weather.  The experiment was poorly designed.

Third, there is an atheistic religion that is well known for its ability to calm the emotions and concentrate the mind, Buddhism.  A few Buddhist should have been included in the study as well.

[Sophus]

I have three comments on the article.  
The first is about the glaring absence of information regarding who performed better on the task.  Was it those who were relaxed about making mistakes who did better or those who were anxious because the didn't want to make mistakes?  

Second, there should have been two other groups for this experiment to be properly controlled.  There should have been a group of theist who were subjected to a discussion about atheism and there should have been a group who discussed the weather.  The experiment was poorly designed.

Third, there is an atheistic religion that is well known for its ability to calm the emotions and concentrate the mind, Buddhism.  A few Buddhist should have been included in the study as well.

I think you're absolutely right. Those results would be interesting to see.

[Recusant]

About the survival impact though, worrying less once a mistake has been made would certainly be of benefit, but maybe the extra worry in atheists will help to prevent them making those mistakes again? Making less mistakes would certainly have a significant survival benefit to counter the worry after mistakes.

That whole aspect of my post was based on my own conjecture--  Trying to put the results of the study in some context that I could relate to.  I have an interest in any new knowledge which seems to give a clue to a survival advantage enjoyed by our ancestors as a result of religious/mystical tendencies; why the god delusion seems to have strong roots in humanity's mental tool kit.  The article about the study of course makes no mention of any of this sort of stuff, and my conjecture may be totally off base.

...not paying heed to your mistakes could get you dead.

I agree.  I don't think that a decreased level of anxiety necessarily means one is not heeding one's mistake(s), though.

If the belief in a deity and the "passing off" of mistakes to its likeness was a conscious decision by early humans, it is interesting to wonder what came first? The deity or the help it provided?

I imagine it as kind of a feedback loop.  It starts with proto-humanity's curiosity, and the capacity for imagination as a problem-solving tool. Lots of spooky things in the world, no visible means by which they're produced (wind, thunder and lightning, the changing of seasons...)  So invisible powers must be behind them.  There is some comfort in the idea of having what seems like a sensible grasp of what's going on around you. With the realization of the existence of invisible powers, I think one would almost simultaneously imagine the possibility of having some influence with them.  And so, IN FEAR AND HOT WATER, [music approaches a climax] MAN IS BORN!!!

[youtube:1y9h1f7b]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1a12go43_0[/youtube:1y9h1f7b]  

Ooops, got a little sidetracked there. I think it would be hard to give priority to either the idea of powerful spirits or their perceived help.</conjecture again>

On the whole, I was much more anxious as a believer than I am now as an atheist.

Same here. I always worried about upsetting the almighty.

"Your results may vary," as they say.

I have three comments on the article.
The first is about the glaring absence of information regarding who performed better on the task. Was it those who were relaxed about making mistakes who did better or those who were anxious because the didn't want to make mistakes?

As I understand it, the purpose was to gauge reactions to the inevitable mistakes made, and that performance, other than being "good test subjects" by making those mistakes, was not relevant.  It's possible that they made a note of the number of mistakes made by each subject, but it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't.

Second, there should have been two other groups for this experiment to be properly controlled. There should have been a group of theist who were subjected to a discussion about atheism and there should have been a group who discussed the weather. The experiment was poorly designed.

I agree with your very perceptive critique of methodology here!

Third, there is an atheistic religion that is well known for its ability to calm the emotions and concentrate the mind, Buddhism. A few Buddhist should have been included in the study as well.

 I think that would have muddied the waters, as far as those who made the study are concerned.  The mind discipline of Buddhism is not common to religion in general. Not to mention, there are branches of that religion which are at least symbolically theistic.  Too confusing for mere psychologists! (Assuming that this study was conducted by psychologists.) I agree with Sophus though-- it would be interesting to see a study modified along the lines which you suggest.

[Tank]

Most interesting. I can see the benefit of not getting too hung up on one's mistakes, learn from them, but leave them in the past where they belong. I can see why a person who believes in forgiveness from some 'sky daddy' could put mistakes into a 'oops' box and move on. If one carries all the mistakes one makes around with one and feels guilty about those mistakes then one is likely to become mistake (risk) averse. Another side effect is 'analysis paralysis' a condition when one is so fearful of making a mistake one spends all one's time analysing a problem so one doesn't actually try to solve it in reality.

It is true that fatal mistakes are not good learning experiences for those that die, but are good vicarious learning experiences for witnesses.

[skwurll]

There is no simple mantra like "God loves me" which can serve as a security blanket for atheists.  Somehow, "God likely doesn't exist" just doesn't have the same warm-fuzziness about it. "We make our own meaning in the universe" is a little better, but still seems to lack something.  I'm not sure that atheism can supply the same soothing effect that religion seems to provide for believers.

True, but I'd rather be informed and scared than ignorant and comfortable.

[notself]

I had surgery for cancer three years ago.  While waiting for the results of the tumor and lymph node analysis I had a wonderful opportunity to explore my possible death.  By the time the results came back (4 days) I knew I was not afraid of death.  I was really scared of treatment, but I got through it OK.  I don't believe that anyone knows if they fear death until they are looking it straight in the eye.  There are many theists who fear death and many atheists who don't.

[Sophus]

Most interesting. I can see the benefit of not getting too hung up on one's mistakes, learn from them, but leave them in the past where they belong.

At the same time there can be a good level of stress to have. It keeps us from screwing up too badly, possibly for a second time. Some stress is healthy sometimes in the sense that it keeps you out of trouble.

[Tank]

Most interesting. I can see the benefit of not getting too hung up on one's mistakes, learn from them, but leave them in the past where they belong.

At the same time there can be a good level of stress to have. It keeps us from screwing up too badly, possibly for a second time. Some stress is healthy sometimes in the sense that it keeps you out of trouble.

Absolutely. If one does not learn from ones mistakes or possibly more importantly that one can make mistakes then one is doomed to screw up all the time. But as I'm sure you'd agree there is a balance to be struck between recklessness and caution. Going too far on either side of the scale is a bad thing. Whether believers in God ultimately benefit depends on whether one feels people as too reckless or too cautious in general terms. I can be over cautious and suffer from analysis paralysis to some extent so I would generally benefit from a bit less mistake guilt at the moment so maybe I'm biased!