Monday, 2 May 2011
Prayer can make things worse
The next time some faithhead offers to pray for you best be on the safe side and try and convince them not to. The scientific study summarised here demonstrates that: if you don't know that they are praying for you it doesn't make any difference; but if you do know they are, it can actually make things worse. True this has only been investigated for patients recovering from a cardiac bypass, and one can find oneself the subject of offers of prayer for all kinds of reasons, but why take any chances. . . .?
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Psycho-babble all of it.
ReplyDeleteBut it's completely obvious that a belief in your own recovery is one of the best things you can do for yourself. And that has nothing at all to do with belief in any superstition.