Why do we believe in the fiction? Light at the end of the tunnel, aliens and pseudoscience

pseudoscience

All sciences are based on proven facts, while pseudoscience are based on theories and beliefs. For example, take the law of universal gravitation. We can prove the existence of gravity again and again until we get tired. It distinguishes real science from the fictional.

Now we will try to prove that the position of the planets of the solar system at the time of our birth somehow affects the future life. It is unlikely that you will be surprised that there is not a single study, somehow confirming the theory of astrology.

Nevertheless, no day passes without your friend "VKontakte" not currently Census horoscope for today, that says something like:

You need to take a break or at least to slow down. The situation begins to be complicated, but the attentiveness and care to help you stay on track. Very soon all will be adjusted.

It fits any person, right? Often accompanied by the horoscope universal phrase: "The situation will start to be complicated," "Today is (not) your day", "Do not hurry with the decision." All this is as stupid as it is obvious. Despite this, the group with horoscopes "VKontakte" collect millions of subscribers, and for «horoscope» Google produces hundreds of sites.

Such pseudo-teach people to rely not on ourselves, but on the fictional theory, thereby allowing the lift from their shoulders the burden of responsibility for the decision.

It is much easier to explain his failure horoscope than stupidity.

Prove such people, it is a fiction, it is very difficult. While science says:

X - it's true, because I can prove that X - is true.

Pseudoscience says:

X - it's true, because you can not prove that X - is not true.

The theory of creationism

Every science uses data available at the moment. One can not deny that, after hundreds or thousands of years of knowledge about the world, about the origin of life and the laws of physics are different from the ones we have now. Science constantly adjusts and improves itself.

1838 was the heyday of the theory of evolution. The fact that life on Earth has created not a supreme being, and evolution, said even the ancient Greek philosophers, but to confirm a theory could only hard facts Charles Darwin.

When in science there are two mutually exclusive theories, one eventually has to refute the other. It happened with the theory of evolution, which has denied the theory of creationism. In turn, the theory of creationism can not refute the theory of evolution and can not accept it, since it will be proof that the scriptures and many religions are wrong.

Creationism - this is one of the most pernicious pseudoscience. In the name of faith and religion were brought enormous sacrifices. Worst of all, they are brought to the present day.

Light at the end of the tunnel

Many people who have experienced clinical death, says that left his body and went into the tunnel, at the end of which shone the light. This is one of the facts, confirming the existence of the afterlife. Or not?

Alas, the light at the end of the tunnel - it only a hallucination, which throws the brainHe is in a critical condition. Excessive cellular activity in the visual cortex gives information processing with retinal forming such hallucinations.

Lack of oxygen affects the nerve cells in the visual cortex. Those, in turn, produce lines and patterns that move in the cortex. Brain "sees" these patterns as a spiral and then compares the information with your "database", trying to find a match. Most of these patterns are similar to the tunnel - it and see the people in a state of clinical death.

By the way, the same effect arises from LSD reception.

alien abduction

TV stations like to do stories about people who were abducted by aliens. Most often, they do not look very plausible, but sometimes there are people who sincerely believe in what they had been abducted by aliens. Why?

In the US, there is a concept white line fever. This disorder, which is common among truckers. Due to the long absence of sleep and monotonous work, they begin to see hallucinations. Bushes turn into animals, mailboxes - in people. The most unusual is that these hallucinations are deposited in the memory, and after the restoration of the normal state of a person believes their real memories.

During sleep or hypnosis memory and imagination are mixed, giving non-existent events.

Back in 1977 the psychologist Alvin Lawson held an interesting study. She has put in a hypnotic state several students and convince them that they were abducted by aliens. Upon awakening, they asked questions about it. Students spoke about the kidnapping, including the story even non-existent and fictitious details.

Propaganda

Why do we blindly believe in what we shoved the media? Let's forget about the mundane (but true) answers about our stupidity and the fact that it's easier, and look at it from the standpoint of science.

In 2010 Peter Brugger conducted a study, Which found that dopamine levels affect a person's confidence in the various events. The key fact in the study was the ratio "S / N". Signal - a piece of information that is meaningful to humans. Noise - is all information received.

The results showed that dopamine levels affect the ratio "S / N", pointing it in different directions. For example, people with low levels of dopamine, hearing a strange noise in the sky, I thought that it was a plane. A person with a high level decides that this is a blast or an alien ship.

If the level of dopamine too large, All information will be treated as a signal that is both meaningful and truthful. And then we begin to believe a report about the crucified children, alien abductions and that Hitler was still alive, and seized power in the United States, together with the Nazis.

Faith in the supernatural thing in the past. Science has repeatedly denied many phenomena in which, nevertheless, many believe now. Horoscope, aliens, the afterlife - from the point of view of science is all fiction, which only prevents us from living.

Passing through a vast amount of information that is available to us now, think several times about whether she should believe it or not. Do not be a puppet in the hands of others, do not believe everything you say, and does not pass the burden of responsibility for their lives on the shoulders of fictional creatures. They can not help you. Only you can.