Psychics & Loneliness

27th Jan 2008

Study: Loneliness breeds supernatural belief

According to a recent University of Chicago study of loneliness and the effect it may have on people, as reported by LiveScience.com, loneliness may increase the likelihood of people believing in the supernatural. To quote the article;

“People who feel lonely are more likely to believe in the supernatural, whether that is God, angels or miracles, a new study finds.”

According to the article, Nicholas Epley the director of the study, tested the theory by introducing three groups of undergrads to thee separate movie scenes. Each group was asked to emotionally try to feel what the character was feeling as best they could.

The first group saw a scene from Cast Away, to expose that group to feelings of loneliness. The second group was introduced to a scene from Silence of the Lambs, to expose them to feelings of fear. The last group was introduced to a clip from Major League, to expose them to comedy. All three groups were then asked to describe a pet they owned or knew well with descriptions that included anthropomorphic traits as well as simple behavioral descriptions.

According to the article:

“Participants from the loneliness group were more likely to describe the pet using the anthropomorphic descriptions than those in the fear or control groups.

All three groups were also asked to rate their belief in ghosts, angels, the devil, miracles, curses, and God, and again, those in the loneliness group reported stronger belief in these supernatural agents.”

The explanation for this behavior of loneliness in belief of the supernatural as presented by Nicholas Epley via the article is;

“When people feel lonely, they may try to rekindle old friendships, seek out new ones or, as Epley’s study suggests, they may create social connections by anthropomorphizing nearby gadgets, such as computers or cars, pets, or by believing in supernatural events or religious figures.”

Can Loneliness Lead to Belief in Psychics?

The summary of this study indicates that it’s more likely lonely people may believe in religion, the supernatural or related types of anthropomorphic beliefs.

There are potential issues with the study, for example, which group was the Control group? Also, can we really assume that just because someone sees a movie clip that they will be able to emote with a wider group of people known as “lonely?” Perhaps a better method would be to actually find a group of lonely people, as defined by profiling tests, along with a group of fearful and light-hearted people.

Finally, what constitutes the definition of “lonely?” Is it simply being socially unable to connect with people, or is it a geographic means of separating an individual from a social group, or is it both (or perhaps neither)?

What do you think?
Do you think loneliness may lead to increased belief in the supernatural? Leave a comment below now and let us know what you think!

More Information on Psychics & Loneliness

www.arealpsychic.com - Learn about psychics and the paranormal
LiveScience.com News Story - Loneliness breeds belief in the supernatural
www.wikipedia.org Loneliness page - A definition with additional links and information about loneliness