The supernatural can turn super-neurotic if not taken care of. According to studies paranormal beliefs are big indicators of increasing stress levels. Researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University say they have a link between one group of beliefs and a reduced ability to cope with stressors.
The study heavily relied on participants filling out a questionnaire known as the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale – which measures the degree of belief in each of these seven categories: Traditional religious belief PSI Witchcraft Superstition Spiritualism Extraordinary life forms Precognition According to scientists, these beliefs are further broken down into dimensions – which include traditional paranormal beliefs like ghosts and other entities, religious beliefs, and witchcraft or black magic. The second is new age philosophy, which encompasses a range of issues like spiritualism, precognition, and extraordinary life forms. How do paranormal beliefs increase stress? Statistics say more than a quarter of adults in the US consider themselves superstitious, and recent trends reveal that younger people are more superstitious than the older population.
A research team led by Dr. Kenneth Drinkwater and his colleagues had more than three thousand participants complete the questionnaire evaluating different facets of perceived stress. The answers were supplemented with a 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) questionnaire completed by the study volunteers.
By comparing the two, the .
