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We explored the psychology of those who believe in manifestation: the ability to cosmically attract success in life through positive self-talk, visualization, and symbolic actions (e.g., acting as if something is true). In three studies (collective N = 1,023), we developed a reliable and valid measure—the Manifestation Scale—and found over one third of participants endorsed manifestation beliefs. Those who scored higher on the scale perceived themselves as more successful, had stronger aspirations for success, and believed they were more likely to achieve future success. They were also more likely to be drawn to risky investments, have experienced bankruptcy, and to believe they could achieve an unlikely level of success more quickly. We discuss the potential positives and negatives of this belief system in the context of growing public desire for success and an industry that capitalizes on these desires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first inhabitants of America must have come from Siberia, from the extreme north of Asia, and entered the American continent during the last glaciation, which began 110,000 years ago and ended around 10,000 BP. They had a magical worldview, felt closely connected to nature, and expressed their way of thinking through various rituals, ceremonies, offerings, songs, melodies and dances, while the new environment prompted them to create traditions, cults, and myths about their origin. At the same time, the indigenous people of America introduced a pantheon of deities for each event, for each fact of their existence, hence demonstrating that although humans are different because they are mortals, they speak the same language as their deities and ask them for sustenance and protection. In Mesoamerica and the Andean region, there are groups that still perform ceremonies and rituals to honor different deities. The indigenous world of America has been sustained in a parallel dimension where magical traditions and rituals help people to adapt and survive in the modern world. However, the religious interference of the Catholic Church during the Spanish colonial period affected indigenous groups, even the most radical ones, and led to a syncretism based on a new understanding of traditions. Nowadays, people perform rituals in the same snow-capped mountains where their ancestors worshipped deities and communicated with them. Images of Christian saints and the liturgy conducted in temples built by the Catholic Church were combined with the magical ideas of the indigenous population about common origin and the world. Thus, Christian doctrine transformed by incorporating traditional beliefs and ceremonies of the indigenous peoples, as it is these rituals that help them live harmoniously.

Despite the rising popularity of peer‐to‐peer sharing platforms, very little empirical research has documented how consumers respond to the opportunity of renting goods to one another. This work delineates how metaphysical (besides physical) contagion beliefs, particularly when self‐identification with possessions is high, demotivates people from renting out their possessions in P2P platforms. We claim and empirically test that (1) others' physical contact hinders willingness to share a possession due to an anticipated threat to its essence and that (2) the possession's emotional link with the owner's identity amplifies this effect. Online and laboratory experiments provide evidence for these effects in isolation from physical contamination concerns. This research extends the research on peer‐to‐peer sharing by demonstrating detrimental effects of beliefs in essence threat and a possible mitigation tactic. Despite the rising popularity of peer‐to‐peer sharing platforms, we know little about how consumers respond to the opportunity of renting goods to one another. This work delineates how metaphysical (besides physical) contagion beliefs, particularly when self‐identification with possessions is high, demotivates people from renting out their possessions in P2P platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe mistaken belief that personal control can affect the outcomes of random events is seen as a core part of disordered gamblers’ irrational beliefs via the ‘illusion of control’. The present study tests the extent of action-based manifestation of the illusion of control in a dice-rolling game, which provides a novel controlled test of a claim first made by Henslin that craps gamblers tend to shake their dice harder when aiming for higher numbers. We also tested participants’ recent involvement in gambling games and rates of disordered gambling symptomology as two theoretically-informed potential moderators of any effect. An incentivized dice-rolling experiment was programmed for participants’ mobile devices, where device accelerometer data was used to animate the effects of their shaking and to record the dependent variable of shaking strength. 1,692 US-Based participants (Mean age 37.1; 60.7% male) completed 24 trials each, across which the target number that they would win a $1 bonus if rolled was varied from one to six. Participants rolled the dice 4.1% harder for the highest- (six) compared to lowest-number (one). However, the effect did not vary based on participants’ recent engagement with various gambling games, and also did not correlate with gamblers’ Problem Gambling Severity Index scores. These results uniquely demonstrate a small Henslin effect, but also challenge theoretical accounts that illusion of control effects should be higher in people with greater familiarity with a given situation (i.e. relevant gambling games), or who have higher levels of disordered gambling symptomatology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Para normality, often seen as violating fundamental scientific principles, includes beliefs in phenomena such as spirits, extrasensory perception, and fortune telling. These extraordinary beliefs are linked to belief. Locus of control (LOC), which refers to an individual's perception of control as internal or external, is a well-studied concept. This study aimed to explore the relationship between locus of control, paranormal beliefs, and magical ideation in early adulthood, and to examine how individual differences affect these variables. Methods: A sample of 142 college and university students aged 18-25 were selected using a convenience sampling technique through social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, due to COVID-19 and quarantine restrictions. The Multidimensional Locus of Control Scale (MLOCS), Paranormal Belief Scale, and Magical Ideation Scale were utilized for data collection. The data were analyzed using SPSS (26 version) Results: Descriptive analysis for demographic variables and correlation analysis showed that locus of control positively correlated with internal LOC (ILOC), external LOC (ELOC), and paranormal beliefs, but negatively with magical ideation. Specifically, ILOC was positively correlated with paranormal beliefs and negatively with magical ideation, while ELOC showed the same pattern. Paranormal beliefs were negatively correlated with magical ideation. An independent sample t-test revealed no significant gender differences. Conclusion: The study highlights the complex relationships between religiosity, locus of control, and superstitious beliefs. Although there may be a link between religiosity and superstitious belief, this connection is not straightforward. A limitation of the study is the reliance on a convenience sample from social media, which may not be fully representative of the broader population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between symptom dimensions within obsessive-compulsive disorder and thought-action fusion, magical thinking, and schizotypal personality traits. Methods: This research was designed as a cross-sectional case-control study. The study population involved patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and healthy controls who did not exhibit any psychiatric disorders following the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I). Thought-Action Fusion Scale (TAFS), Magical Ideation Scale (MIS), Vancouver Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory (VOCI), Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered to all participants. The two groups were compared in terms of sociodemographic variables and scale scores, Spearman's correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationship between TAFS total and all subscale scores, magical thinking, schizotypal personality traits and OCD symptom dimensions scores. Results: The study comprised 37 patients with OCD and 36 healthy controls. The patient group exhibited significantly higher scores in TAF total and all subscales, MIS, SCQ, BDI, and BAI, compared to the healthy control group. Positive correlations between magical ideation scores and VOCI-obsessions and VOCI-hoarding subscale scores and between schizotypal personality scores and VOCI-obsessions, VOCI-hoarding, VOCI-just right, VOCI indecisiveness scores was found. Conclusions: The relationship between symptom dimensions in obsessive-compulsive disorder such as sexual, religious, aggression, hoarding, symmetry/ordering and magical thinking and schizotypal personality traits shows that these variables are among the determining factors for OCD symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at the contemporary phenomenon of adolescents and children spending increasing amounts of their time on screens. Some of this was accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is a way to conceptualize what happens when someone goes down a rabbit hole, becoming lost online. Usually, it is more of a nightmare than just a bad dream. The psychological effects can include a pull toward magical thinking and transactional relating. Both can flatten cognitive and emotional depth. Jung's use of Lévy-Bruhl's term participation mystique is reviewed as a way to understand a trend toward individual and collective fantasies of being merged with the online world through our screens. Artificial intelligence (AI) introduces a completely newer aspect of this trend. The author reviews his previous ideas about seeking relief from emotional distress by using screens as alternate psychic containers. All of these uses of screens are problematic because they can lead to overexcitement, inner depletion, devaluation of self-capacities, and reliance on nonhuman contacts. Suggestions for addressing the mental health issues that arise from overdependence on screens are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The global opioid use problem presents a complex public health challenge characterized by increasing overdoses, addiction rates, and fatalities. Personal factors such as cognitive traits, distress tolerance, and decision-making styles play a crucial role in influencing opioid use trajectories. Aim: This study aimed to investigate decision-making styles, magical ideation, and intolerance of uncertainty among current and past opioid users and healthy controls to contribute to the literature on opioid use disorder. Methods: Three groups were involved: current opioid users (n = 94), past opioid users (n = 93), and healthy controls (n = 100). Participants completed self-report scales assessing magical ideation, intolerance of uncertainty, and decision-making styles. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression. Results: Current opioid users exhibited lower vigilance decision-making styles and higher magical ideation scores than past users and controls. Decisional self-esteem correlated positively with vigilant decision-making in current and past opioid users. Magical ideation scores correlated positively with maladaptive decision-making styles across all groups. Intolerance of uncertainty did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions: This study emphasizes that decision-making styles and magical thinking might have significant roles in opioid use disorder. These results contribute valuable insights to tailor interventions and support systems for individuals struggling with opioid use disorder.

Objective: To reveal the Social Representations (SRs) that the population of Sincelejo, department of Sucre, Colombia, has regarding the Corralejas tragedy of 1980, which occurred in that city. Methodology: Grounded theory, applied to the analysis of information that was collected from various sources, key informants, and texts found on social networks through videos and comments. Finally, the information was analyzed using Atlas.Ti. Results: Six categories were revealed: premonitions or bad feelings, popular stories and legends, isolated rain, human-animal interaction, funerary aspects and cemeteries, and, finally, the central image associated with death, pain and trauma. Conclusions: The categories revealed become SRs of tragedy from the concretization of magical thinking, which sought non-rational and less stigmatizing explanations of a tradition that clashes with the modernity, and that has deep cultural roots in the Colombian Caribbean region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem gambling poses serious harm to individuals and societies worldwide. This study aims to investigate the relationship between stressful life events and problem gambling, and further explore the mediating role of coping strategies and magical thinking. Currently, the research on problem gambling is widely conducted worldwide. However, due to the unique characteristics of China's gambling industry, research on problem gambling conducted in the Chinese mainland has always been an underrepresented area in international gambling research. This study recruited participants from a province in central China, and data from 483 of them were ultimately analyzed. The data analysis results indicate that task-oriented coping, emotion-oriented coping, avoidance-oriented coping, and magical thinking all serve as mediators in the relationship between stressful life events and problem gambling. Emotion-oriented coping and magical thinking, avoidance-oriented coping and magical thinking, all serve as serial mediators in the relationship between stressful life events and problem gambling. Task-oriented coping and magical thinking did not act as serial mediators in this relationship. This study demonstrates that helping problem gamblers develop effective coping strategies and reduce their level of magical thinking is crucial for treating their problem gambling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the birth care beliefs practiced in a Punjabi village. Birth care is an important practice that ensures a safe and uncomplicated birth for both mother and child. The study presents an in-depth exploration of the human–divine connection and its symbolic manifestation in birth care rituals in rural Muslim communities. Utilising unstructured interviews with midwives, mothers, elderly women, and an imam, the research sheds light on the essential role of religious prayers, Quran recitation, charity, as well simulative imagery and amulets within the cultural care system of rural Punjab. Words, symbols, objects, and symbolic expressions emerge as powerful tools in facilitating faith healing and enhancing its perceived efficacy. The research deepens our understanding of the faith-based birth care process and highlights the essential interdependence of the human– divine connection and symbolic expression (manifestation of belief) within faith-based birth care practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The global opioid use problem presents a complex public health challenge characterized by increasing overdoses, addiction rates, and fatalities. Personal factors such as cognitive traits, distress tolerance, and decision-making styles play a crucial role in influencing opioid use trajectories. Aim: This study aimed to investigate decision-making styles, magical ideation, and intolerance of uncertainty among current and past opioid users and healthy controls to contribute to the literature on opioid use disorder. Methods: Three groups were involved: current opioid users (n = 94), past opioid users (n = 93), and healthy controls (n = 100). Participants completed self-report scales assessing magical ideation, intolerance of uncertainty, and decision-making styles. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression. Results: Current opioid users exhibited lower vigilance decision-making styles and higher magical ideation scores than past users and controls. Decisional self-esteem correlated positively with vigilant decision-making in current and past opioid users. Magical ideation scores correlated positively with maladaptive decision-making styles across all groups. Intolerance of uncertainty did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions: This study emphasizes that decision-making styles and magical thinking might have significant roles in opioid use disorder. These results contribute valuable insights to tailor interventions and support systems for individuals struggling with opioid use disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent literature has explored the psychological well-being of physicians, addressing conditions like perfectionism, imposter phenomenon/syndrome (IP), depression, burnout, and, less frequently, magical thinking. But recognizing the connections among these psychological factors is vital for developing targeted interventions to prevent or alleviate their impact. This article examines the often-sequential emergence of these five conditions within a physician's career, with a specific emphasis on their prevalence among emergency physicians (EPs), who must manage a diverse array of acute illnesses and injuries. The descent into psychological distress initiates with magical thinking—in this case, the belief that perfection is possible despite evidence to the contrary—leading to the pursuit of maladaptive perfectionism. If unaddressed, this trajectory may lead to depression, burnout, and in some cases, suicide. Understanding this continuum lays the groundwork for devising a systematic approach to enhance physicians' mental health. The article delves into detailed descriptions of these psychological conditions, encompassing their prevalence, individual impact, how they are integrated into this continuum and potential preventive or corrective methods. Recognizing unrealistic expectations as a major contributor to burnout, depression, and even suicide within the medical profession, the article advocates for the development of targeted interventions and support structures to assist medical students and professionals in managing IP. Practical strategies involve acknowledging unrealistic expectations, setting attainable goals, seeking support, taking breaks, and prioritizing self-care. Addressing this pervasive issue aims to cultivate a culture where medical professionals can thrive, ensuring optimal care for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the predictors of belief in the efficacy of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and its use, including cognitive factors (scientific reasoning, health literacy, locus of control), beliefs (holistic and magical health beliefs pseudoscientific beliefs, and trust in doctors), sociodemographic factors, and cancer diagnosis. The sample consisted of 177 women (41.8% with a cancer diagnosis; Mage = 38.81, SD = 11.43). Beliefs in efficacy and use of CAM were the main outcome measures; preference for CAM over conventional treatment was a secondary outcome measure. Pseudoscientific/magical beliefs and external locus of control were the strongest predictors of positive attitudes toward CAM and its higher use, as well as preference for CAM instead of conventional treatment. Cancer diagnosis predicted only higher CAM use, but not more positive attitudes to CAM, nor preference for CAM instead of conventional medicine. Women with cancer had significantly more pseudoscientific beliefs than women without cancer and had a higher external locus of control over their health. Women with pseudoscientific/magical beliefs favor CAM treatments independently of the cancer diagnosis, although the diagnosis of cancer also contributes to their higher use of CAM. In other words, it seems improbable that women would turn toward CAM treatment only after being diagnosed with cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers and companies frequently integrate products with lifelike photographs of people, animals, and other entities. However, consumer responses to such products are relatively unknown. Drawing on magical thinking and moral psychology, we propose that, due to a photograph's lifelike resemblance to its referent, consumers believe that photo‐integrated products embody the depicted entity's underlying essence. As such, in cases where consumption compromises the product's integrity (e.g., food, disposable goods), people are less likely to consume photo‐integrated products because doing so is perceived as destroying the depicted entity's essence, which elicits moral discomfort. In contrast, when the photographic image remains intact through consumption, as is the case with durable goods (e.g., magnets), people increase consumption of photo‐integrated products relative to products without photo integration, consistent with their popularity in the marketplace. We highlight two strategies to promote more positive outcomes for managers and consumers alike: (1) choose images of entities whose essence destruction is perceived as less immoral, and (2) increase the durability of the product so the depicted entity's essence is preserved through consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex cognitions are involved in professing to love animals whilst eating them – the "meat paradox." Meat-related cognitive dissonance varies depending upon the self-identified gender of the individual, with women more likely to report more negative affect and more likely to express a desire to reduce meat consumption than men. In this study, we investigated possible reasons for why gender effects are observed. We hypothesized that there may be an effect across different species – do we feel bad about eating lambs but not chickens? Is it the case that dissonance is most strongly elicited when the meat-animal connection involves animals thought to have less intelligence? What role does identification with particular gender roles play in the justifications that drive the meat paradox? Does the idea that qualities of food are related to the way an animal is killed play a role – this being the concept of magical thinking, which has been demonstrated to be more common in women? In two experiments involving 466 participants, we aimed to better understand the meat paradox in the context of cognitive dissonance, gender, magical thinking, empathy, and gender-role orientation. We found that exposure to information about the intelligence of animals (lamb and chicken) and the slaughter process induced negative affect in comparison with the control condition (apples). We replicated the finding that women who identify with more traditional gender roles experience greater meat-related cognitive dissonance. Further, there was a significant correlation between increased negative affect and higher scores on magical thinking. Finally, experiencing meat-related cognitive dissonance led to an increase in rates of intention to decrease meat consumption. Whilst we replicated several previous findings reported in the literature, we did not show unequivocal relationships between gender, gender roles, and magical thinking and the meat paradox. The ways in which people manage meat-related cognitive dissonance remains an area for further interrogation to better understand these contradictions of thinking and behavior. Understanding the meat paradox has implications for animal welfare and human and planetary health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how the allure of magical thinking and groupthink contrasts with intuition of emotional truth. Since truth can terrify, the author suggests that a longer learning curve is needed to apprehend what Bion (1970a) called the "evolving O" of the analytic session. Traumatized patients are described as dream weavers who spin webs of partial truths and lies around their true selves. For the analyst, untangling these webs involves what Bion (1970b) calls an "act of faith." Clinical material is presented to show how groupthink and other concretions of thought can, under favorable circumstances, be transformed on the wings of psychic truth. Alternatively, uncontained violent emotions can become calcified, creating a carapace over the chrysalis of the patient's true self. The author concludes that the analyst's desire for a particular treatment outcome can unwittingly lead to the formation of an adhesive web where healthy analytic culture becomes a cult. Paradoxically, it is only when there is equal attention to emotional truth and lies that a trajectory of growth is likely to evolve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of social taboos excluding bleeding women from church spaces, a Byzantine uterine amulet references the gospel story of the healing of the bleeding woman for those needing alternative means for aid. The word "and" begins its Greek inscription. This seemingly insignificant detail signals a resourceful and local application of authoritative tradition, rather than a rote or mistaken reproduction of the gospel text. The amulet's specific use of "and" contributes in multiple ways to the amulet's authority through its materiality, recitation, repetition, and embodiment. The amulet repackages the healing of the bleeding woman within its own text, images, and material, bringing new authority parallel to – and even in place of – church access. This essay explores the epigraphic grammatical peculiarity of beginning with "and" as an intentional, meaningful transformation of gospel rhetoric into power for the individual, with implications for a niche epigraphic tradition on this and other uterine amulets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magical thinking is a cognitive process characterized by beliefs in supernatural causality and the power of rituals. Grounded in personal convictions rather than objective reality, it involves subjective beliefs rather than magic tricks. Magical thinking's effects range from potentially positive, such as bringing hope and comfort, to negative consequences, including delays in seeking appropriate medical care and refusing evidence-based treatments. This article provides an overview of magical thinking, including its prevalence, diverse forms, and influence on patients, families, and emergency physicians (EPs). This article offers guidelines for recognizing signs of magical thinking and emphasizes the importance of respectful and empathetic interactions with patients and their families. Highlighting both the benefits and detriments of magical thinking in Emergency Medical (EM) care, the article discusses the knowledge and tools needed to optimize patient outcomes. It acknowledges the varying belief systems and cultural practices that contribute to the prevalence of magical thinking. For physicians and other EM professionals, addressing magical thinking requires cultural competence and empathetic engagement. Active listening and shared decision-making are essential to promote positive patient outcomes. By recognizing and understanding magical thinking and fostering effective communication, EPs can navigate the delicate balance of addressing patients' beliefs while delivering evidence-based care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV testing rates among recently arrived (≤5 years) Asian-born men who have sex with men (MSM) in Australia remain suboptimal. Research indicates that belief in supernatural determinants of health (supernatural beliefs) may be an important barrier to greater HIV test uptake. We examined potential associations between supernatural beliefs and HIV testing among recently arrived Asian-born MSM in Australia. In 2019, an online survey was completed by 186 self-identified MSM born in Asia, and who arrived in Australia within the past five years and were never diagnosed with HIV. Supernatural belief was measured as the extent to which one felt that health was influenced by supernatural forces. Measures of association were estimated with multiple logistic regression. Participants with supernatural beliefs were significantly less likely to have tested for HIV in the past year. The adjusted predicted probability of not testing for HIV in the past year was 44.8% among those who held supernatural beliefs (95% CI: 30.5–59.2%), but only 5.2% among those who did not hold supernatural beliefs (95% CI: 1.9–8.6%). Religious affiliation was not significantly associated with testing for HIV. Supernatural beliefs may be an important but underappreciated barrier to HIV testing among recently arrived Asian-born MSM in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aversion to happiness is defined as the belief that experiencing or expressing happiness can cause bad things to happen. In this study, the fear of happiness scale was used to measure aversion to happiness in a multinational sample of adults from several countries (N = 871). Partial measurement invariance was supported for the fear of happiness scale. The study also examined 9 potential predictors of aversion to happiness: gender, age, religiosity, belief in collective happiness, perfectionism, belief in karma, belief in black magic, loneliness, and perception of an unhappy childhood. Bayesian multilevel modeling showed that, except for gender and religiosity, all predictors contributed significantly to the prediction of aversion to happiness. Together, the predictors explained about 28% of the variance in aversion to happiness. The strongest predictors were an unhappy childhood, perfectionism, belief in black magic and karma, and loneliness. This study provides new evidence for the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the fear of happiness scale in adult samples and sheds new light on the nomological network of aversion to happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on "laws" of contagion and similarity, it is understood that people tend to believe that meanings associated with one object may be transferred onto another, and the meanings of the first may "contaminate" the second. The perceived contamination may influence the individual's way of interacting with the object. We aimed to produce a rich description of individual differences that predict intuitive judgments in response to scenarios involving activation of contagion heuristics. Adolescents and adults in Germany completed a survey and provided rated responses to hypothetical scenarios. They also gave open-ended remarks on one scenario: whether they would wear a sweater that had belonged to Adolf Hitler if they were cold. Content analysis produced a composite description of reflections with insights into historical consciousness in contemporary Germany. Also examined was the extent to which quantitative responses were related to demographics, personality characteristics, supernatural beliefs, and responses to other scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magical thinking can take on many forms within Christianity. One of the aspects of the spiritual warfare and deliverance ministry worldview is that of cursed or familiar objects. Demons are attracted to these objects and may inhabit them. Cursed/familiar objects include items explicitly related to other religions, items that are implicitly connected, and even seemingly innocent items. A number of Scriptures have been employed to argue for the existence of cursed objects, the grave results of contact with such objects, and how to react to such objects. Key texts are: Deuteronomy 7: 25-26, Isaiah 2: 6, and Acts 19: 19. The aforementioned texts are taken out of context and haphazardly assembled to strengthen the argument. This is not a responsible interpretation of Scripture. The original language and historical context need to be taken into consideration. The magical thinking about objects hearkens to what used to be called fetishism. It is unfounded in Scripture and boils down to superstition that can have negative effects on the individual and society.

Contagion is the belief that an entity's invisible or essential qualities can be transferred to a target. Researchers studying contagion have often distinguished between physical contagion (the perceived transfer of germs, toxins, and pathogens) and spiritual contagion (the perceived transfer of metaphysical properties such as spirits, essence, and moral characteristics). While sensitivity to physical contagion is a component of several existing scales, to date, there are no scales that measure sensitivity to spiritual contagion. Here, we develop and validate a measure of Spiritual Contagion Sensitivity (SCS), which considers positive, negative, and neutral aspects of spiritual contagion. We demonstrate discriminant validity from existing measures of physical contagion sensitivity, such as perceived vulnerability to disease and disgust sensitivity (Study 1). We demonstrate construct validity by showing the correlation between SCS and a variety of published findings in the literature for which spiritual contagion beliefs have been hypothesized to play a role (Study 2). Finally, we demonstrate predictive utility of the SCS scale by showing significant moderation of spiritual contagion effects from the literature (Studies 3A–3C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across four experiments (N = 1,923), this research provides converging evidence of a talisman effect of insurance—consumers who have an insurance policy feel that the covered mishap is less likely to occur. Although such an effect has previously been proposed, empirical evidence for it is limited, in part because the talisman effect has often been conflated with a related but distinct magical-thinking phenomenon, the tempting-fate effect. By disentangling these two effects, we are better able to isolate the talisman effect and show that it is a robust phenomenon in its own right. We also provide support for a mechanism underlying the talisman effect: Insurance reduces anxiety and repetitious thoughts related to the mishap; with fewer thoughts about the mishap, its cognitive availability is lower and so it seems less likely to occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program has garnered more attention among student loan borrowers in the United States as a potential source of loan relief. However—at least prior to the PSLF Program Overhaul introduced in October 2021—arduous eligibility criteria, opaque communication on the part of the U.S. Department of Education and contracted loan servicers, and ongoing threats to the continuation of the program made for a skittish and frustrated group of enrollees. This article leverages a mixed methods study to explore the meaning borrowers ascribe to prospective loan forgiveness and interrogates how magical thinking contributes to enrollees' perspectives on prospective loan forgiveness. With several of these sources of meaning standing in conflict with each other and with confidence in personal prospects of loan forgiveness fairly low, we argue that magical thinking overlays the meaning of potential loan forgiveness among some borrowers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magical thinking is widely explored phenomenon in normal and abnormal population. Magical and superstitious beliefs are universal aspects of our life. However, elevated magical thinking is often seen in obsessive compulsive disorder and other anxiety disorders. There is a lack of intervention studies on magical thinking. This case study reports the role of magical thinking in the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The case report further highlights the usefulness of cognitive behavior therapy in the treatment of magical thinking and associated psychopathology. Magical thinking and its putative role in the development and maintenance of psychopathology is not adequately explored. This case study highlights the application of cognitive behavior therapy in managing magical thinking and associated psychopathology. Role of cultural belief system in the development and maintenance of magical thinking need to be systematically explored in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Odontopediatría Latinoamericana is the property of Asociacion Latinoamericana de Odontopediatria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Sanat ve Tasarim Dergisi is the property of Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The imperative for decolonial research methodology has been long discoursed in academia. However, there remains a rift between dominant colonial research practices in the academy and the needs of researchers of color. In this article, I explore autohistoria-teoría as a decolonial research methodology by weaving between personal narrative, magical thinking, and contemporary academic discourse on autoethnographical research methods. I will exemplify both the uniqueness and importance of spirit in Anzaldúa's iteration of autohistoria-teoría. Finally, I will challenge the academy's perception of autoethnographical research methods as navel gazing and reframe autohistoria-teoría as decolonial praxis, and as such does not need adhere to the validity paradigm of western hegemonic knowledge production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the concept of causal stories to explore how death, sickness and misfortune lead to accusations of sorcery or witchcraft. Based on empirical research in Papua New Guinea, we propose a new analytical framework that shows how negative events may trigger particular narratives about the use of the supernatural by individuals and groups. These narratives then direct considerations about the cause of the misfortune, the agent who can heal it, and the appropriate response from those affected by the misfortune. We also categorise the factors that attract people towards magical causal narratives or towards competing non-magical causal narratives. We situate our analysis within a context of worldview pluralism, where individuals possess multiple worldviews, such as a magical worldview or a scientific worldview. We argue that causal stories operate to activate the dominance of one worldview or a combination of worldviews in given circumstances. Our theoretical contribution may be extended to discrimination and violence against those suffering from health-related stigma, as this too gives rise to competing causal stories that either take hold or are ignored depending upon diverse factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Musical Chilena is the property of Universidad de Chile and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Cognitive models of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) posit that maladaptive beliefs about intrusive thinking contribute to the disorder's development and maintenance. However, the findings concerning one notable belief, thought-action fusion (TAF), have been inconsistent. Current conceptualizations of TAF may conflate constructs such as magical thinking, sensitivity, and thought content that are already the subject of informative, interdisciplinary literatures. Methods: To tease apart these constructs, adult participants (N = 249) reported their trait levels of sensitivity and magical thinking, and were randomly assigned to engage with an intrusive thought in one of three content areas. We hypothesized that morality-related content would lead to heightened maladaptive outcomes, but only in combination with higher trait levels of sensitivity and magical thinking. Results: Results indicated that morality-related content, along with sensitivity to morality, played more of a prominent role in maladaptive outcomes, with magical thinking being implicated in general outcomes like worry. Discussion: These findings suggest that the link between TAF and maladaptive outcomes may depend on which TAF elements are present for an individual. Sensitivity, in tandem with other TAF elements (e.g., morality-related content, magical thinking) is predictive of divergent outcomes (e.g., worrying, urges to neutralize) and thus may be an important target of future interventions aimed at reducing TAF, worrying, and/or OC symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article contrasts two chronologically distinct groups of artifacts: painted ceramics from the Hallstatt period and the so-called white ceramics, produced until the end of modernity. They are related by means of the technique of covering a bright surface with colorful patterns and the stylistic similarity of certain geometric motifs. However, the ideas behind creating these pictorial representations were completely different. In the article, painted vessels from the Hallstatt period and modernity will be the starting point for detailed studies on magical and rational thinking about the world. It was in the Renaissance that, according to the concept of the sociologist and philosopher Max Weber (1864-1920), a "disenchantment of the world", took place - e.g. the departure from the magical understanding of reality. Early Iron Age and Modernity ceramics will illustrate this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]