What is Faith?
According to Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen.” Dictionary.com describes it as “belief that is
not based on proof.”[1]
I prefer my own definition, which is “a belief which is motivated by positive
emotional outcomes, yet is founded on little to no evidence.” From the theistic
perspective, faith is a compulsion to believe in God, which is rooted in the
human soul. However, as I will explain in future posts, attributes commonly
associated with the human soul such as this “compulsion” can be readily explained
by psychology and neuroscience. Thus, the word “emotional” should sufficiently
accommodate the theistic experience, and place it on equal ground with other
non-religious forms of faith.
Optimism
Dispositional optimism is a term coined by psychologists Charles Carver
and Michael Scheier meaning “the global expectation that good things will be
plentiful in the future and bad things scarce.”[2]
This is a form of faith because most healthy people have an emotional
preference for positive outcomes over negative ones, yet there is insufficient
evidence to predict all future events. Optimism is strongly associated with
greater psychological and physical health. For example, it has been linked to
an increased feeling of life satisfaction, improved ability to cope with adversity,
better health habits, quicker recovery rates from heart surgery, and increased
success in sports and work.[3]
Positive Illusions
Just because optimism leads to healthier, happier people does not mean
they it is founded in reality. Faith, after all, is the belief in something for
which there is little-to-no evidence. Psychology has coined the term “positive
illusion” to explain unfounded, yet psychologically healthy, beliefs.[4]
In general, most people harbor these 3 positive illusions:[5]
- That they are unusually capable and virtuous
- That they have more control over events than they do
- That they are optimistic, believing misfortune unlikely and good outcomes likely
There are many benefits to maintaining these unrealistic beliefs about
ourselves. For instance, they enhance our self esteem and outlook on life, they
motivate others to have greater confidence in us, and they inspire persistence
when dealing with difficult problems.[6]
Despite these positive effects, unshakable positive illusions can lead to many
negative outcomes as well. We can all think of someone we know who is far too
confident for their own good, and who makes poor life decisions based on their
unrealistic expectations of the future. As Proverbs 16:18 put it “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
The “Secret” and Gambling
Addiction
The Secret is a bestselling book written by Rhonda Byrne which claims
that the universe is capable of bending to your will as long as you know how to
communicate with it. The book suggests that you must visualize your successes
and be thankful to the universe for all current and future successes.[7]
My favorite example from the book (which I had the misfortune of listening to)
was a visualization technique for those who wish to be financially successful. It
entails putting an extra zero to the right of your income when doing your bills
so it appears as though you have more money than you actually possess. To me,
these kinds of “techniques” are less about communicating with the universe, and
more about tricking yourself into having an optimistic outlook. This, of
course, may produce the same positive effects derived from optimism and other
positive illusions described above. However, “The Secret” DVD claims “Thoughts
are sending out that magnetic signal that is drawing the parallel back to you.
It always works; it works every time, with every person” which is quite a bold
claim.[8]
Consider pathological gamblers. Psychological studies show they tend to believe
they are in control of the outcomes of the games in which they play, and they
are very confident in their success.[9] One can imagine no better practitioners of
“The Secret” than gambling addicts, who likely visualize their success on a
daily basis and sincerely believe “this time will be different.” However, 20%
to 30% of pathological gamblers have declared bankruptcy, compared to 4.2% of
low-risk and non-gamblers.[10]
In other words, “The Secret” does not work.
Conclusion
Faith is ultimately a good thing. We need it in order to be healthy,
happy, and successful. However, it is often illusory, and can lead to making
poor decisions due to overconfidence. Thus, despite theists’ conception of
faith as knowledge of ultimate truth, it is merely indicative of psychological
preferences which may or may not be grounded in reality.
Resources:
Great article by Malcolm Gladwell on the effects of overconfidence
Great article about optimism and positive illusions
Great critique of “The Secret” by Skeptic Magazine
No comments:
Post a Comment