Magical Thinking Much?

A    L    O    H    A  !

" The most beautiful thing 
we can experience 
is the mysterious.
It is the source 
of all true art 
and science. "


Albert Einstein

Tapa Design & Moon Link

" The world of religion 
isn't a logical world; 
that's why children like it. 
It's a world of 
worked-out fantasies, 
very similar to 
children's stories or 
fairy tales. "

Yehuda Amichai

'There is nothing 
either good or bad, 
but thinking 
makes it so.'


William Shakespeare 


]:[

In the light of day, 

in front of other people,

we do not believe in magic.

But science now shows

that we DO believe in

Magical Thinking

and we act on it.

A recent study showed the persistence

of the ancient magical belief

in what researchers called

Contagion.

We do behave and make choices

in accordance with our deep belief

that a person's "essence" can be

transferred, or "rub off on us."

In this study, people were shown

willing to pay more for items

owned and used by celebrities.

Our relatives, the social chimps,

pay lots of attention

to what the Alpha (celebrity) 

chimps do.

"Chimp See 

Chimp Celebrity Do Something - 

Chimp Do."

People especially paid more

for clothing and personal items

that the celebrity touched and used.

If the person was a "bad person"

people were only willing to 

pay less for their items.

 "Contagion is a form of 
magical thinking 
in which people believe 
that a person's immaterial 
qualities or essence 
can be transferred to an object 
through physical contact," researchers write.
 Their findings, they add, 
"suggest that magical thinking 
may still have effects 
in contemporary 
Western societies."  Link

This is one reason
why the lonely
are lonely,
why some of us
hate going into 
hospital
even to visit.

We also "catch"
yawns & smiles.
I hope you catch
more smiles
than yawns
when visiting here!

I love Your visits & comments-
                                       Warmly, cloudia