![]() “ Brugger’s research strongly links the lack of magical thinking to “anhedonia”, the inability to experience pleasure. This manifests in an inability to take action – after all what is the point?( I ask you, what betters describes the disconnected ennui of post modern culture?)Īccording to Peter Brugger, head of neuro-psychology at University Hospital Zurich “to be totally ‘unmagical ‘ is unhealthy. Doesn’t that say it all?Īnd I find it most telling, as Hutson explores in his book, that the materialist view of reality (in which one’s mind is powerless in the face of an oblivious mechanical universe) has been psychologically demonstrated to promote a state of depression and “’learned helplessness”. The explanation ? “Participants in the charm-present conditions reported setting higher goals and demonstrated increased perseverance on the task”. Hutson asks us to consider a recent experiment in which the mere suggestion that a golf ball was lucky significantly influenced performance, causing participants to make almost two more putts on average. ![]() In his book The Seven Laws of Magical Thinking: How Irrational Beliefs Keep Us Happy, Healthy and Sane Hutson ask us to consider that magical thinking “provides a sense of control, of purpose, of connection and meaning” that “exemplifies many of the habits of mind that have made humans so evolutionary successful”. Materialists concede that magical thinking may be innate, but they view this as outdated wiring of our primitive brains. Today studies in the fields of neuroscience, evolutionary biology and psychology demonstrate that we are biologically and psychologically hard-wired to seek out magical possibilities in the world. It looks like mother nature may have actually intended for us to think magically. Because really, where’s the harm in indulging in a few positive affirmations? Besides, maybe we are meant to? As growing research suggests, magical thinking is not a cognitive dysfunction at all. That’s why I’m puzzled by the intellectual hostility directed towards magical thinking. It leaves us mumbling mantras, lost in navel gazing, as the world falls apart around us.īut wait – am I the only one who finds this view a bit short-sighted? Because whether it falls in line with consensual reality or not, loads of evidence demonstrates that magical thinking is real, it works.Īnd far from disconnecting us from reality, magical thinking has been shown to give us confidence, the feeling of “ I can do this”, that actually supports our participation in the world.Īnd whatever skeptics want to say about it, countless studies have shown believing in a sugar pill or a prayer can heal your body, and that bringing along that lucky charm will statistically increase your chances of winning. It lures us into believing that our minds are all we need to make change in the world. Magical thinking leaves us out of touch with reality. The idea we can alter matter with our thoughts may have been a self-evident truth for ancient yogic sages like Patanjali – but today, we know better.Īnd we must be saved from false hopes. And no matter how much we may want to believe it, we will not create world peace by holding a sun salutation marathon on the legislature lawn. To believe in the “powers of intention” is to have fallen victim to the fallacy that consciousness extends beyond the brain. Because according to scientific arbiters of reality, treating the physical world as though it had mental properties and treating the mental world as though it had physical properties – is to be guilty of “cognitive dysfunction.” Wishing for something does not make it so. As I think so I shall be”.Īnd while this idea is often attributed to no greater mind than the Buddha – we’ve got to get a grip. Author and yogi Matthew Remski is right on the money when he observes “the facebook status updates that define yoga culture can be summed in one line. Lets face it, when it comes to magical thinking, yoga people are some of the worst perpetrators around.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |