Anxiety Increases Recall of Supernatural Agents
Motivational explanations for religious beliefs-that beliefs satisfy some psychological need-have historically been popular, and recent research has specifically identified a causal role for anxiety. However, the cognitive mechanisms by which anxiety ultimately generates religious beliefs are unclear.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2021.1898808
Commentary
This study shows that when people are anxious, they strengthen known cognitive biases and preferentially process threatening traits against these to recall the supernatural. In other words, if you are anxious, you are more likely to remember supernatural entities.
The 972 participants were analyzed through an online recall test to determine if these recall biases were strong.Studies from previous research have shown a link between anxiety and religious beliefs, explaining that having beliefs can be comforting. However, this conclusion, called the "comfort theory," has been questioned, so this study suggests that the first step involves the cognitive effects of anxiety, which make people pay attention to threats and remind them of them.
The study also suggests that other supernatural concepts, such as ghosts, psychics, and astrology, are digested in the same way.
