Sgt God and the Lonely Hearts Club

People who feel lonely are more likely to believe in the supernatural, a new study finds

People who feel lonely are more likely to believe in the supernatural, whether that is God, angels or miracles, a new study finds. Humans have evolved as social creatures, so loneliness cuts to the quick. Living in groups was critical to the survival of our ancient ancestors. While group living isn’t critical to survival today, feeling socially connected is. Three groups of college students were asked to rate their belief in ghosts, angels, the devil, miracles, curses, and God, and those in the loneliness group reported stronger belief in supernatural agents.

Scientists asked participants to fill out a personality questionnaire and were told the answers would be fed to a computer which would generate a future-life prediction for them. Half the participants were read statements implying they would be lonely later in life, while the other half were told they would be socially connected for the rest of their lives. Participants were then asked to rate their belief in supernatural agents, and those in the ‘lonely group’ reported stronger belief than those in the ‘connected group’. Results were also compared to ratings the participants gave before they got their life predictions, and those who reported a belief in God before and were made to feel lonely reported a stronger belief after the experiment. Owning pets and religious beliefs and practices are both known to increase the sense of well-being, but why exactly that is isn’t well known. There are health benefits that come from being connected to other people, and those same benefits seem to come from connection with pets and religious agents, too.