American audiences more likely to believe in God after watching BBC’s Planet Earth, study shows

[rug]

Scientists said images of ‘awe-inspiring’ natural phenomena increased chances someone would believe in the existence of a higher power

Adam Withnall
Wednesday 27 November 2013

People in the US are more likely to believe in God and the supernatural after watching awe-inspiring nature programmes like the BBC’s Planet Earth, scientists have claimed.

According to research published in the Psychological Science journal, test subjects were more likely to say they had faith in a higher power after watching “jaw-dropping” footage of the Grand Canyon, waterfalls and other natural phenomena.

Those who were asked to watch extracts from the BBC documentary series fronted by Sir David Attenborough gave markedly different responses to a series of questions than a control group which was shown footage from more neutral news reports.

Professor Piercarlo Valdesolo, a psychological scientist from Claremont McKenna College who carried out the studies, said: “Many historical accounts of religious epiphanies and revelations seem to involve the experience of being awe-struck by the beauty, strength or size of a divine being, and these experiences change the way people understand and think about the world.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/american-audiences-more-likely-to-believe-in-god-after-watching-bbcs-planet-earth-study-shows-8966553.html

http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/experiencing-awe-increases-belief-in-the-supernatural.html

http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/11/18/0956797613501884.abstract

[CFLDem]

1. Well it does make one wonder if there's something more...

[rug]

2. It does provide one answer about God: "It ain't me."

[CFLDem]

5. Meh... I reserve final judgement.

I never have been able to commit to positive atheism. I don't actively follow a god but I wouldn't be surprised if there is one or there isn't one but there is something more.

I prefer the matrix theory myself

[LuvNewcastle]

3. Are some people actually atheists before they see a video?

If so, I'd say they're rather fickle, shallow people.

[AtheistCrusader]

16. 'Easily manipulated'.

I'd wager the same people could be motivated to all sorts of proclamations of nationalism after a jingoistic display of American monuments or something along those lines.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Sir David Attenborough is very good but he is not God.

.

[Jim__]

6. An awe inspiring clip from the series?

The clip runs for about 2 minutes - other clips are available at the site.

According to research published in the Psychological Science journal, test subjects were more likely to say they had faith in a higher power after watching “jaw-dropping” footage of the Grand Canyon, waterfalls and other natural phenomena.

Why should any of these clips inspire awe? Is that evidence of something? Evidence that awe gives us a selective advantage? Why would awe gives us a selective advantage?

[rug]

9. I think it's related to consciousness of self.

Despite some echoes of it in animals, one uniquely human trait is a profound awareness of self, followed by an acute awareness of others, followed by an awareness of the enormity of the world, the universe and the unknown. Awe is but one human reaction to this.

[MisterP]

13. awe is a subset of terror--it's a "holy terror" at truly comprehending how big and different

something is

it's the Microprosopus

[amuse bouche]

7. And if they are shown images

of starving, dying children covered in maggots, ear piercing torture and brutal rape do they still feel 'awe inspired' and believe in the same higher powers?

[DavidDvorkin]

14. Good point.

[rug]

15. Probably they'll think of the people who did it.

That activity is something within the competence of human beings.

[amuse bouche]

18. I see..so you want to take

'human beings' out of the 'activity'
Fine. Did they still feel awe inspired looking at the human death and misery after something natural like a typhoon in the Philippines or the ongoing horror in Japan?

[rug]

19. That's a start.

But that would have to include the nuclear power plant.

I imagine they could. Awe is not simply wonder.



It's found somewhere between terror and amazement on Plutchik's wheel of emotions.

[longship]

8. I am a little confused here.

Certainly they are not saying that a nature film can turn an atheist into a theist. Surely this means that people who already believe in god express that belief more often after viewing a nature film. And little more than that.

[rug]

10. i don't think that's what they're saying.

A nature film can no more turn an atheist into a theist than a sermon on damnation can turn a theist into an atheist.

It does, however, resonate with and, in some way, complement religious belief, assuming one is already so inclined.

I wish these studies were not behind paywalls.

[longship]

11. I agree. The devil is in the details.

And the science reportage is too often lax, going for the most sensational instead of getting the facts straight and not over-stating the paper's actual conclusions.

I wish it wasn't so.

Happy Thanksgiving, rug!

[rug]

12. You too, longship!

[edhopper]

17. Can I point out the

how trivial this study is. It is not about how people who watched this series, which is completely scientific, agnostic and anti-superstitious. Which portrays how nature works.
It's about how some people were shown some beautiful, awe inspiring clips of nature, without context, and it made them think more about whatever their spiritual proclivity was than a neutral clip. Big fucking deal.
It was not about people seeing a show which showed how the universe works with no mention of God or the supernatural and then believing in those things more.
Much ado.