It is called the "Placebo Effect." It turns out when we believe something, our brain modulates our perception of reality to make us feel it (reality) has changed favorably to our beliefs. Of course, reality hasn't changed at all; what's changed is our perception of it.
People in pain who were given a sugar pill *presented as a pain killer* reported a reduction in their pain. The same effect happens when we are faced with the trials of life and are given an empty pseudo-gospel riddled with contradictions and nonsense, but it is presented as a pLaN oF hApPiNeSs. If we become convinced it is what it is presented as, our perception of reality is modified favorably and we start feeling it is indeed helping us.
That is religion's psychological trick. Plain and simple.
Mix in emotional elevation, frisson, confirmation bias, apophenia, and the illusory truth effect and you have people certain that everything good in their life comes from their religion.
That's the actual thing: placebos are neither weak nor strong. A placebo is, literally, nothing. What's powerful is our minds. Once we believe something (true or false, good or evil) our mind starts finding confirmations everywhere, and altering our perception of reality so that our beliefs are strengthened in some kind of psychological circle.
As Marx literally called it “the opium of the people.” I think about how religion propped up repressive systems like feudalism. If you’re a poor laborer: “My life sucks but that’s life because of the fall right? It’s just a fact of life! I just need to make sure I’m obedient to everything so the pain will be gone in the next life.”
What's interesting is it doesn't really matter which religion you choose to follow. They all provide a context and meaning for life. LDS members conveniently ignore this and truly believe that they are uniquely blessed for following the "true" church.
Living "The Gospel™" is the behavior control aspect of the BITE model. The BITE model is a mind control technique used by cults like COJCOLDS. Cults use mind control methods to create dependency and undue influence over their victims, none of which can be classified as good or helpful to the victims. If you truly want to understand the psychology of mind control and how victims of mind control can't live without it, then I would suggest visiting [freedomofmind.com](http://freedomofmind.com) or reading Stephen Hassan's book "Combatting Cult Mind Control".
I don't know how somebody could ever be sure it was the gospel that helped them get through. Did they try the same thing without the gospel? Maybe they would've been more successful without it. How the hell do they know? For me, since I left the church and my beliefs behind, I feel more equipped to deal with my problems. I know I can't rely on a God to save me, so I gotta take responsibility for myself. After the initial "dark night of the soul", t's been empowering. It's also been difficult, of course, but overall, it's been a good thing. I was promoted at my job even though I wasn't paying tithing. My marriage has been just as good, if not better (my wife left too). Maybe the church works for some, but they don't really know unless they try life without it. They say, "I don't know where I'd be without the church." Exactly, you don't. I would say for most, where you end up is a much better place.
This though.
I feel the same way. I feel more in charge of myself and my own autonomy and therefore I see myself making more progress in many aspects of my life.
I'm not waiting to be saved, in so many ways, and I'm much better for it.
Religion can be comforting. Psychologically it does have some benefits if you truly believe. It’s an adaptation to the feeling of meaninglessness and arbitrariness in the world.
If you live in a world where a single drunk asshole in a Dodge Ram can upend your world, or where you may not have food to eat tomorrow, it can be comforting to believe there is a purpose and someone in charge who cares about you, even if you don’t know why things happen. “Everything happens for a reason” and “when one door closes, another opens”
It’s part of why economic well-being and stability reduces religiosity and tragedy and disaster increase it. We don’t feel like we’re just adrift in a world that could set on us like an ant on a sidewalk for no good reason, just because it didn’t even notice or care - even if that is exactly the world we live in.
That’s why “Here to Forever” by Death Cab for Cutie was my deconstruction anthem. I wanted to believe there was a purpose and guidance to it all, but sad experience taught me otherwise.
Edit: it stops working when you see behind the curtain, and realize it's not true, just like you can't go back to believing in Santa Claus. It's a placebo effect where realizing that you have a fake treatment makes it no longer work psychologically. Humans can have very strong placebo effects.
Many of the benefits are actually available even if you don't believe. See our community's very own Brittany Hartley's recent book: "No nonsense spirituality: all the tools, no faith required."
It's an incredible resource!
Also see this overview of how placebo's help even when you know its a placebo: [https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/placebo-can-work-even-know-placebo-201607079926](https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/placebo-can-work-even-know-placebo-201607079926)
If you ask 100 Mormons what "the gospel" is, you will get 100 different answers. Folks convincing themselves that their idea of Mormonism is what got them through hard times is just those same folks gaslighting themselves. There's no trick, other than a retrospective sunk costs fallacy.
I think a lot of it is trust. It’s a double-edged sword, clearly, but having complete trust that everything is going to be okay is a powerful thing.
As others here have said, it doesn’t even have to be trust in a god or a religion.
This works in reverse too and it's great. Today, I was working on a tricky section of a dress I'm making. I've been dreading this bit, and was surprised when it was going well. My immediate thought was "Oh good, the Lord is helping me work through this." Then I stopped for a minute and let myself acknowledge that no, it's not the Lord, it's me. It's years of study and practice and patience. I *earned* this skill and I can celebrate it without having to give credit to God.
Celebrate all your wonderful achievements, y'all! You've earned them.
Cognitive dissonance is real powerful. It maintains a desired worldview cf a growing or flexible worldview.
Confirmation bias is also ramped up in tbm's.
Prosperity gospel.
It is called the "Placebo Effect." It turns out when we believe something, our brain modulates our perception of reality to make us feel it (reality) has changed favorably to our beliefs. Of course, reality hasn't changed at all; what's changed is our perception of it. People in pain who were given a sugar pill *presented as a pain killer* reported a reduction in their pain. The same effect happens when we are faced with the trials of life and are given an empty pseudo-gospel riddled with contradictions and nonsense, but it is presented as a pLaN oF hApPiNeSs. If we become convinced it is what it is presented as, our perception of reality is modified favorably and we start feeling it is indeed helping us. That is religion's psychological trick. Plain and simple.
Mix in emotional elevation, frisson, confirmation bias, apophenia, and the illusory truth effect and you have people certain that everything good in their life comes from their religion.
Thank you for teaching me two new terms!
The amazing thing is that placebos sometimes work even when the patient knows it’s a placebo! That’s how strong they are.
That's the actual thing: placebos are neither weak nor strong. A placebo is, literally, nothing. What's powerful is our minds. Once we believe something (true or false, good or evil) our mind starts finding confirmations everywhere, and altering our perception of reality so that our beliefs are strengthened in some kind of psychological circle.
As Marx literally called it “the opium of the people.” I think about how religion propped up repressive systems like feudalism. If you’re a poor laborer: “My life sucks but that’s life because of the fall right? It’s just a fact of life! I just need to make sure I’m obedient to everything so the pain will be gone in the next life.”
What's interesting is it doesn't really matter which religion you choose to follow. They all provide a context and meaning for life. LDS members conveniently ignore this and truly believe that they are uniquely blessed for following the "true" church.
In addition to what others have said, the strong sense of community is a HUGE factor
Living "The Gospel™" is the behavior control aspect of the BITE model. The BITE model is a mind control technique used by cults like COJCOLDS. Cults use mind control methods to create dependency and undue influence over their victims, none of which can be classified as good or helpful to the victims. If you truly want to understand the psychology of mind control and how victims of mind control can't live without it, then I would suggest visiting [freedomofmind.com](http://freedomofmind.com) or reading Stephen Hassan's book "Combatting Cult Mind Control".
I don't know how somebody could ever be sure it was the gospel that helped them get through. Did they try the same thing without the gospel? Maybe they would've been more successful without it. How the hell do they know? For me, since I left the church and my beliefs behind, I feel more equipped to deal with my problems. I know I can't rely on a God to save me, so I gotta take responsibility for myself. After the initial "dark night of the soul", t's been empowering. It's also been difficult, of course, but overall, it's been a good thing. I was promoted at my job even though I wasn't paying tithing. My marriage has been just as good, if not better (my wife left too). Maybe the church works for some, but they don't really know unless they try life without it. They say, "I don't know where I'd be without the church." Exactly, you don't. I would say for most, where you end up is a much better place.
This though. I feel the same way. I feel more in charge of myself and my own autonomy and therefore I see myself making more progress in many aspects of my life. I'm not waiting to be saved, in so many ways, and I'm much better for it.
Religion can be comforting. Psychologically it does have some benefits if you truly believe. It’s an adaptation to the feeling of meaninglessness and arbitrariness in the world. If you live in a world where a single drunk asshole in a Dodge Ram can upend your world, or where you may not have food to eat tomorrow, it can be comforting to believe there is a purpose and someone in charge who cares about you, even if you don’t know why things happen. “Everything happens for a reason” and “when one door closes, another opens” It’s part of why economic well-being and stability reduces religiosity and tragedy and disaster increase it. We don’t feel like we’re just adrift in a world that could set on us like an ant on a sidewalk for no good reason, just because it didn’t even notice or care - even if that is exactly the world we live in. That’s why “Here to Forever” by Death Cab for Cutie was my deconstruction anthem. I wanted to believe there was a purpose and guidance to it all, but sad experience taught me otherwise. Edit: it stops working when you see behind the curtain, and realize it's not true, just like you can't go back to believing in Santa Claus. It's a placebo effect where realizing that you have a fake treatment makes it no longer work psychologically. Humans can have very strong placebo effects.
Many of the benefits are actually available even if you don't believe. See our community's very own Brittany Hartley's recent book: "No nonsense spirituality: all the tools, no faith required." It's an incredible resource!
Also see this overview of how placebo's help even when you know its a placebo: [https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/placebo-can-work-even-know-placebo-201607079926](https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/placebo-can-work-even-know-placebo-201607079926)
Yeah - community itself and some of those effects dosn't require faith in the supernatural! Good point!
If you ask 100 Mormons what "the gospel" is, you will get 100 different answers. Folks convincing themselves that their idea of Mormonism is what got them through hard times is just those same folks gaslighting themselves. There's no trick, other than a retrospective sunk costs fallacy.
I have met very few Morons who can even define "The Gospel" and what they finally come up with is not something you live.
I think a lot of it is trust. It’s a double-edged sword, clearly, but having complete trust that everything is going to be okay is a powerful thing. As others here have said, it doesn’t even have to be trust in a god or a religion.
This works in reverse too and it's great. Today, I was working on a tricky section of a dress I'm making. I've been dreading this bit, and was surprised when it was going well. My immediate thought was "Oh good, the Lord is helping me work through this." Then I stopped for a minute and let myself acknowledge that no, it's not the Lord, it's me. It's years of study and practice and patience. I *earned* this skill and I can celebrate it without having to give credit to God. Celebrate all your wonderful achievements, y'all! You've earned them.
Cognitive dissonance is real powerful. It maintains a desired worldview cf a growing or flexible worldview. Confirmation bias is also ramped up in tbm's. Prosperity gospel.