Believers care less about their mistakes, and at the same time they commit them less frequently – results from the latest research, conducted by scientists from Canada. Researchers from the University of Toronto conducted two series of studies among believers and non-believers. Volunteers – connected to the electrodes, which measured brain activity – they performed the so-called. test Stroopa. It is a well-known test for psychologists to check a person's ability to control mental processes. It consists in reading the names of the colors written in a different color of the font (np. name “red” written in green font). This task takes more time and is associated with a higher risk of errors, than in the situation, when the meaning of the word matches the color, which it was written with. Turned out, that compared to atheists, religious people had much less activity in the front of the rim – tj. parts of the brain, which monitors current activity, inhibits inappropriate reactions and initiates proper ones. It signals, when we need to increase attention and control, especially in the face of anxiety-provoking events – np. mistakes.
People who are very religious or simply religious had a less active front gyrus, when they made a mistake. Moreover, these people made fewer mistakes. “This part of the brain can be compared to an alarm siren, which begins to howl, when the person has just made a mistake or is experiencing some uncertainty” – says researcher Michael Inzlicht. “Believers experienced much less anxiety and stress, when they got it wrong”. This relationship persisted even then, when the analysis took into account the personality traits of the respondents and their cognitive abilities.
According to the researchers, it proves it, that faith has a calming effect on believers, who are less afraid of making mistakes or facing the unknown thanks to it. Inzlicht warns, however, that fear is something of a kind “double-edged sword”, because sometimes it is also helpful. “Of course, anxiety can be negative, because when we feel it too strongly, it has a paralyzing effect” – says the psychologist. “And yet it also performs a very important function, because it signals us a mistake. If, after making a mistake, we do not feel anxious, then we will have no incentives to change or improve our behavior and we will repeat the same mistakes over and over again”.
