Should I infer that being a non-believer, born again or Catholic is more stressful than being a Methodist?
Yeah, that's what I don't understand.
My initial, unbiased conclusion is that the study doesn't prove anything. (Again, I am NOT born-again in any way). The stress argument doesn't hold up to me, as columbia alluded to. I also don't buy that the brains of born-again Christians are less developed at birth...you are going to have to present a hell of a lot more empirical evidence to prove that, if it's even possible.
That's interesting. Spiritual / Religious experiences long linked to PTSD, I remember hearing that.
I'd have to say that this study should be shown across the board with connected spiritual sects. Born-Agains are one. New Agers are another. People like me, crazy ghost seeing spiritual alien believers; we already know our brains are ruined so that doesn't even need to be studied.
I was always able to induce lucid dreams (until I moved to our haunted apartment), when I suddenly couldn't anymore.
That's not what the study is saying, imo. They aren't calling these people stupid, remember that. The conclusion that I draw is that people that have a stressed Hippocampus are more likely to look for outlets to make their lives better becasue they are suffering from depression. Which is why they make a drastic lifestyle change.
That's interesting. Spiritual / Religious experiences long linked to PTSD, I remember hearing that.
I'd have to say that this study should be shown across the board with connected spiritual sects. Born-Agains are one. New Agers are another. People like me, crazy ghost seeing spiritual alien believers; we already know our brains are ruined so that doesn't even need to be studied.
I was always able to induce lucid dreams (until I moved to our haunted apartment), when I suddenly couldn't anymore.
I almost asked you about lucid dreams the other day because I thought it would be up your alley. I can't remember what the context was now, though.
shmenguin wrote:i imagine being atheist as less stressful. less obligatory crap to deal, no fear of hell or a vengeful god, and the kicker...sleeping in on sundays.
shmenguin wrote:i imagine being atheist as less stressful. less obligatory crap to deal, no fear of hell or a vengeful god, and the kicker...sleeping in on sundays.
I would think so too.
Nothingness is scarier than hell for me, ha.
Last edited by Kraftster on Thu May 26, 2011 2:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
doublem wrote:That's not what the study is saying, imo. They aren't calling these people stupid, remember that. The conclusion that I draw is that people that have a stressed Hippocampus are more likely to look for outlets to make their lives better becasue they are suffering from depression. Which is why they make a drastic lifestyle change.
That's interesting. I'm sure there are a lot of people who were in a heap of trouble or stress that became born again and devoted 100% of their energy towards that new pursuit.
doublem wrote:That's not what the study is saying, imo. They aren't calling these people stupid, remember that. The conclusion that I draw is that people that have a stressed Hippocampus are more likely to look for outlets to make their lives better becasue they are suffering from depression. Which is why they make a drastic lifestyle change.
Yeah, this is what I was originally thinking, but it wasn't as if the born-agains were the smallest hippos, it seemed like the point of the article was really that Protestants are the biggest?
doublem wrote:That's not what the study is saying, imo. They aren't calling these people stupid, remember that. The conclusion that I draw is that people that have a stressed Hippocampus are more likely to look for outlets to make their lives better becasue they are suffering from depression. Which is why they make a drastic lifestyle change.
Yeah, this is what I was originally thinking, but it wasn't as if the born-agains were the smallest hippos, it seemed like the point of the article was really that Protestants are the biggest?
doublem wrote:That's not what the study is saying, imo. They aren't calling these people stupid, remember that. The conclusion that I draw is that people that have a stressed Hippocampus are more likely to look for outlets to make their lives better becasue they are suffering from depression. Which is why they make a drastic lifestyle change.
Yeah, this is what I was originally thinking, but it wasn't as if the born-agains were the smallest hippos, it seemed like the point of the article was really that Protestants are the biggest?
well, it could just been they have less of damage to the hippo, which means less stress. There could also be many other factors.
doublem wrote:That's not what the study is saying, imo. They aren't calling these people stupid, remember that. The conclusion that I draw is that people that have a stressed Hippocampus are more likely to look for outlets to make their lives better becasue they are suffering from depression. Which is why they make a drastic lifestyle change.
Yeah, this is what I was originally thinking, but it wasn't as if the born-agains were the smallest hippos, it seemed like the point of the article was really that Protestants are the biggest?
well, it could just been they have less of damage to the hippo, which means less stress. There could also be many other factors.
shafnutz05 wrote:I would also be curious to follow the money trail as to who funded this study.
CHURCH OF SATAN 666
lol, but you understand what I'm saying. All of these studies are usually bankrolled by private donors with interests at stake. Studies matching what the bankrollers want to hear is common throughout academia, gotta keep getting those research bucks.
shafnutz05 wrote:I would also be curious to follow the money trail as to who funded this study.
CHURCH OF SATAN 666
lol, but you understand what I'm saying. All of these studies are usually bankrolled by private donors with interests at stake. Studies matching what the bankrollers want to hear is common throughout academia, gotta keep getting those research bucks.
No I got you. In this case, if the study is saying that Protestants brains are bigger, I wouldn't be surprised to see it funded by a Protestant organization.
shafnutz05 wrote:
lol, but you understand what I'm saying. All of these studies are usually bankrolled by private donors with interests at stake. Studies matching what the bankrollers want to hear is common throughout academia, gotta keep getting those research bucks.
In pretty much every case, it's important to to look at who is funding the research. far too often "scientists" will bend data to make it look like what the people that are funding the study want it to look like.
WOW, the "missing mass" in the universe discovered by a 22 year old student. she detected filaments of galaxies strewn across the universe. this is actually a HUGE discovery, why is this not plastered all over the news by now?
WOW, the "missing mass" in the universe discovered by a 22 year old student. she detected filaments of galaxies strewn across the universe. this is actually a HUGE discovery, why is this not plastered all over the news by now?
Hyper Evolution -- Human Population Growth is Accelerating Species Change
A team led by University of Wisconsin-Madison anthropologist John Hawks estimated that positive selection just in the past 5,000 years alone -- dating back to the Stone Age -- has occurred at a rate roughly 100 times higher than any other period of human evolution. Many of the new genetic adjustments are occurring around changes in the human diet brought on by the advent of agriculture, and resistance to epidemic diseases that became major killers after the growth of human civilizations.
