Religion Is Nature's Antidepressant | Robert Sapolsky | Big Think

Religion Is Nature's Antidepressant | Robert Sapolsky
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Of all the strange things that humans have come up with, almost none is stranger-nor more pervasive across separate cultures-than religion. Why this meta-magical thinking evolved is easy to understand in hindsight: Robert Sapolsky calls it a "wonderful mechanism" that our ancestors used to cope with forces of nature, tragedies, and good luck that they couldn't explain. And even in the presence of explanations today, it continues to be useful for the majority of humans, to the point that asking "Why do so many people still believe?" is not the most interesting question in the vicinity. Sapolsky would rather ask: "What’s up with the five percent of atheists who don’t?" The only thing crazier than religion might be atheism, he suggests. There's a solid catalog of literature that shows the health benefits of religiosity. It's nature's antidepressant for what is often a brutal and awful world, and offers a protective quality that atheists forfeit-which explains why incidences of depression are much higher in that group. To Sapolsky, what's more curious than the bizarre need to believe, is the choice not to.
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ROBERT M SAPOLSKY :
Robert M. Sapolsky holds degrees from Harvard and Rockefeller Universities and is currently a Professor of Biology and Neurology at Stanford University and a Research Associate with the Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya. His most recent book is
Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Robert Sapolsky: So when you look at the really unique bizarre things humans have come up with, ranging from cave paintings to Snapchats and everything in between, probably the most unique and universal thing we’ve come up with is this religion business. We talk about the symbolic metaphorical thinking.
Essentially there has been no culture on earth that has not invented some form of what could be termed “meta-magical thinking,” attributing things that cannot be seen, faith-based belief systems, things of that sort. It’s universal, and 90-95 percent of people believe in some sort of omnipotent something or other out there. Every culture has it. People have endlessly speculated about the evolution of religiosity, and at least in terms of westernized religions it makes perfect sense why they’ve evolved: Because they’re wonderful mechanisms for reducing stress. It is an awful, terrifying world out there where bad things happen and we’re all going to die eventually. And believing that there is something, someone responsible for it at least gives some stress reducing attributes built around understanding causality. If on top of that you believe there is not only something out there responsible for all of this but that there is a larger purpose to it, that’s another level of stress reducing explanation.
If then on top of it you believe that individual out there is benevolent-even more so control and predictability. Benevolent and listens to human entreaties? More elements of control.
Benevolent, listens to human entreaties, and prefers to listen to people like you who look like you, pray like you, request like you? Even more so. They’re just all these levels of control, predictability; they’re stress reducing.
And what is infuriating to me as an utter, complete atheist is a very, very solid literature showing the health benefits of religiosity, independent of: you tend to get a social supportive community. When you’re religious you have fewer lifestyle risk factors. The mere ability to perceive causality, reason, benevolence-“Benevolence especially for people like me if I say the right combination of words and fervently believe in it”-that’s wonderfully protective and there’s health benefits to it.
If it is a totally heartless indifferent apathetic universe out there you are far more at risk for all the logical things which is to conclude it is an utterly depressing universe out there.
Rates of depression are much higher among atheists… Go figure.
So in terms of that it makes perfect sense why this is something that people have come up with and rather than asking why is it that 95 percent of humans come up with some form of religiosity, a much more biologically interesting question to me is: What’s up with the five percent of atheists who don’t do that?

[@kristinh4686]

As an atheist, I appreciate his willingness to be honest about the health benefits of religiosity. I feel like most wouldn't admit to that. It is an interesting predicament for sure.

[@oasisneko1]

Check out Ralph Lewis -- "Universe without God", something like that. great read.

[@GujuNilesh]

As a Christian, I also appreciate his candor about being an atheist and yet seeing the benefits of religion. Finally, something we can agree on, yay! :D

[@kierenmoore3236]

He’s an honest scientist - it’s not a matter of ‘admitting’; just of acknowledging the data. His honest, scientific approach is also why he is a staunch atheist.

[@rodriguezelfeliz4623]

As a new atheist, I surely was happier when I believed in God hahaha

[@kierenmoore3236]

@Zafar Khan … There’s always one zealot with illogical, toxic quotes to share … 😏 … When you deny shoving things up your butt, I guess - by your preferred ‘logic’ - we’ll all take that as evidence that you actually do it … 😬

[@manudasmd]

This guy is a true genius. A pure scientist who eats , sleeps and drinks biology and evolution.

[@AceofDlamonds]

yes one of my favorite biology communicators.

[@deprogramr]

I really recommend reading his book, Behave. It completely changed my thinking for the better. Being able to understand and communicate even just some of the underlying conditions governing and affecting my behaviour is making my communication with others so much more vibrant, truthful, and useful.

[@cliffhanley2120]

Can you give an example from it, please.

[@deprogramr]

@@cliffhanley2120 Really it's pretty hard to come up with one specific example from the book, it talks about so many things... He talks about genes and environment, psychology, physiology, neurobiology, our relationship to other primates... Sapolsky breaks down myths, presents strategies for being (taking a mental and physical tally of the situation before you enter into conversation, especially heated ones) gets into questions around philosophy of science, socio-economic status, status in general... It's a big book, gets into a lot...

[@thesecretplace1055]

@@deprogramr sounds like it makes you more conscious of your body's behavior when in different forms of stress, which allows you to have more controll or less of your actions but it's the same thing as before , nothing changes since it was always a problem of consciousness and decision not of the brain. (I don't think I'm making myself too clear but thanks for reading anyways 😁).

[@DrSeanKennedy]

I don't think most of the commenters realize that Robert Sapolsky is a staunch atheist.

[@angelic8632002]

DrSeanKennedy Yea even though he's quite clear about that fact in the video -.-

[@Zeppy159]

That fact should be irrelevant to his argument anyway, too many people with a knee jerk reaction to anything positive said about religion

[@drearperry8727]

And of course hes an aries.

[@newingvaeona8907]

Zeppy Feuerbach made many of the same initial arguments. It cannot be construed as positive

[@campbellbailey9614]

When did she ever say that she was an atheist?

[@chusssMusic]

He actually managed to transform his hair from analog to digital!

[@allen_chu]

great attention to detail

[@theoneed2051]

That was a great observation!

[@iii-ei5cv]

sampling error

[@TomeRodrigo]

Very well said. It is a soothing mechanism for reducing stress from the unknown. The brain likes to have answers and security, even if it is false.

[@virginiamoss7045]

I guess that's true for most people, but not for me. The unknown is something to know and if I don't care to make the effort to know it, I'm perfectly comfortable simply knowing it's not known and might be known some day or not. I have no problem living in the gray areas of life. It makes no sense to me to throw the unknown aside and substitute something made up to make me feel better; it makes me highly apprehensive to even contemplate doing something like that for fear of the unknown suddenly having an impact on me. It's not as shocking if I am aware of the possibility of the unknown making itself known. It's actually expected and I deal with it when it's known. There's plenty enough that is known in life to work with in the present to get along just fine.

[@helvete_ingres4717]

in typical philosophically illiterate new atheist fashion, you leave aside the entire issue of determining true and false if you concede that the brain is not hardwired to seek 'truth' or even equipped for that

[@N0Xa880iUL]

@@helvete_ingres4717 Enough accusation and more explanation please

[@N0Xa880iUL]

But the security is true ironically if it statistically benefits you. Self-fulfilling as we say.

[@heavenlymonkey]

The brain wouldn't be able to know if something is actually true or false, what matters is whether it truly believes it or not.

[@emilcioran8873]

He is one of the brightest people I've ever heard. I wish more people like this man to populate earth

[@ZPLS18]

You could be that person but maybe you arent as smart as you think you are. Thereby negating any intelligence that you attribute to this man

[@dshepherd107]

@@ZPLS18 you are a nasty little troll, that took the time to insult a stranger for making a positive comment. It’s also clear English is not his first language. It is mine however. You’re rather pathetic actually. Your time would be better spent listening to Sapolsky’s lecture series. It’ll open your eyes to the reasons for your juvenile behavior, & perhaps help you act like a more decent human being . We could argue the point if you wish. Being a retired research biologist (molecular genetics was my main focus, but I’ve also studied psychology & philosophy, & am a student of history), I’ve no doubt belittling your intelligence wouldn’t take much on my end. Do you take my point?

[@N0Xa880iUL]

@@ZPLS18 Brutal. But true.

[@N0Xa880iUL]

@@ZPLS18 The problem is that what should be considered smart isn't clear. Unless we define it to be. Is a person smart in thinking or in decision making. And in decision making how do we decide what is smart and what isn't. It's a qualitative assessment.

[@benwilkonski8635]

Hey Cioran!!

[@ryanzsx9043]

"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief." ~read it in some book once

[@debayandas1128]

I heard Altair say it in the ending sequence of Assassin's Creed Revelations.

[@mdminhazulislam1034]

It's from Hibru Bible I suppose

[@jsphotos]

Hmmmm...Aren't you expressing some some wisdom?

[@emilcioran8873]

So true

[@nikolayten4882]

It's from the Bible. Ecclesiastes

[@TheMrjoecast]

I just found this channel and I love how professional Atheist and Theists give their opinion on the subject of religion without being offensive or pushing their beliefs onto others.

[@Teuts2000]

This guy throws out millenia of philosophical and logical reasons to believe... and still gets it wrong.

[@salmanisrar3772]

This is so true. I used to pray 5 times and never got depressed severely,I felt peace and hope whenever I prayed. Now having lost my faith, I'm going through severe depression. I haven't got out of bed today. Never experienced such thing before in my whole life. Update: I have been practising mindfulness meditation, self compassion and loving kindness meditation. I have done therapy too. I'm in sooooooo much better place, I experience way more empathy and compassion for myself and others and awe at existence than when I was believer.

[@Spudderr]

Salman Israr hang in there. The fact that everything is one big accident I find more mystifying than creationism. There’s also nothing wrong with saying I’m not sure what happens when we die. The only concrete thing we have is our existence in this life so make it count. Do good, be good, and have some fun with it.

[@rahulchaudhary6740]

@@Spudderr "hang in there" Poor choice of words

[@arjamandgotanF]

@@rahulchaudhary6740 😭😭

[@TomeRodrigo]

But at least you live real life now. You will get use to depression until you make something out of your life. It is better to be depressed but have opened eyes than believe in fairytales borderline emotional gods who can't control themselves and "are punishing their own creations".

[@solarhydrowind]

There are religious believers. There are athiests who believe there is nothing to believe in "up there"... Then there are agnostics who say they don't know and don't believe it's possible to know. Maybe there are other categories, too!

[@esdev92]

I'm anti-religious and I think he makes a very valid point. People in the past had a very limited understanding of how nature works and what their purpose in the world was. They couldn't cope living in ignorance and belief that their lives don't matter on the grand scale, thus religion was born to give their lives a meaning and something to aspire to. I respect that as long as people don't take it too far, where they start losing the sense of reality and force their beliefs on others.

[@Ansatz66]

If you're not trying to force your beliefs on others then you don't really believe. You can't partition your beliefs into "real beliefs" that you believe because they are actually true and "fake beliefs" that you believe just to feel better, because then the fake beliefs won't make you feel better. To get the benefit you have to honestly believe, and if you honestly believe then you have to act on those beliefs like you would act on any other belief.

[@esdev92]

There is no such thing as a "fake" or "real" belief. You are mixing beliefs with facts. Belief is an entirely subjective thing. The point of a belief is that one has an opinion on something that can't (yet) be proven to be true or wrong. I for instance believe there is no god. Someone else may believe otherwise. Are you telling me one of us just deliberately chose to believe in what they do just because it could make him feel better? And why would I force my beliefs/opinions on someone without any proof to back it up? That makes no sense.

[@hassanalzaher3893]

Of course forcing somebody for an ideology is bad, I agree. What I didn't understand is relating human need for purpose, origin and destination, relating all that to people's "thinking in the past". As if you had overcome that question of our existence. Claiming that modern science has to do anything with our essential question is wrong and means you didn't understand neither science nor our essential question. Einstein, one of the best modern minds and modern scientists, believed in a God. It is not a fashion of ancient minds to believe in God, nor it's an answer to an ancient question. It's a very existing question to everyone of us. You're just wrong my friend.

[@Ansatz66]

"Why would I force my beliefs/opinions on someone without any proof to back it up?" Because you _believe_ them. When you believe something, in your mind it is true, and there's no harm in forcing a true belief onto someone; that's mere education. If you have true beliefs and you have the power to make other people share those true beliefs, then you certainly should, especially if those true beliefs are important.

[@Charlotte_Martel]

Agreed. If you truly believe in Christianity or Islam and choose not to share your faith because of social pressure, notions of tolerance, etc. effectively, you may be condemning that person to an eternity of torture in hell. This is why Penn Jillette stated that he is offended when one claims to be a Christian yet refuses to proselytize to him. Clearly, that person either doesn't not care about Penn's eternal fate or (more likely) doesn't truly believe in the "product" he/she is selling. True beliefs shape one's entire out-look and lifestyle. If you're only a Christian for an hour on Sunday, you're not living your faith.

[@mustaqimmarsidi6546]

I don't understand the dislikes? I am religious (Muslim) and I found his take on the matter is actually very profound.

[@Galaxia53]

Of course nobody religious is going to understand the problem. Because they don't see the problem atheists have with religion. And if you're going to ask what the problem is then it's just going to end up into an argument that will never end.

[@Thor.Jorgensen]

It is atheists who misunderstand his argument. I am atheist myself and I would argue that this man does in fact argue on the atheistic perspective. It is common in the human psychology to avoid reality in the face of what is unpleasant, and religion and imagination is an easy escape from the fact that once we die we will be no more. That is obviously depressing and very difficult for us to wrap our minds around so the easy way is to think that once I die I will continue to live in paradise and everything will be perfect. Again.. Wishful thinking. We have no reason to believe that this is true but it is very convenient and optimistic.

[@Ralkila]

I am a human being* religions are ridiculous

[@zabelicious]

I fail to find anything comforting about religion. It actually gives me the creeps.

[@lololauren55]

It's superficial and incomplete account of religious epistemology at best. The Atheists are just wrong, there is no more superstitious account for the Universe than the Atheist viewpoint.

[@mindfulskills]

Great little talk, to which I would add one more element. While the gods traditionally worshipped by human societies are implausible, the idea that, as Sitting Bull said, "There is more," is not. Apart from the true believers and the militant atheists is a third group: people who combine genuine curiosity about what that "more" might be, with the humility to acknowledge that they don't know. That combination creates a space for active mysticism and contemplative practices which are in keeping with homo sapiens' finest traditions of empiricism, exploration, and experimentation.

[@jackmyers2359]

I suppose the day will come when religions will be 'history' but some enterprising souls will exploit the very notion that you just expressed. A reemergence of Transcendentalism or something similar?

[@walubfpv7380]

Can you expand where the Sitting Bull Quote is from? I did some googling and can't find it.

[@walubfpv7380]

@@jackmyers2359 sounds like a mind that needs the beauty of non dual thinking.

[@Chris-es3wf]

That really just sounds like religion without you wanting to attach yourself to a singular existing religion due to their "implausibility", as you put it. But it is effectively no different than being religious as he notes in the video. There really is no 3rd camp.

[@hoverleash1117]

There's nothing incompatible between atheism and "more". Atheism simply means you don't believe in a God. Many "militant" atheists are into meditation, spirituality, etc. E.g. Sam Harris

[@Erin__D]

This may be true but you have to factor in the risk of religious trauma with horrible doctrines (like total depravity). My mental health improved exponentially after I left Christianity.

[@sylviaowega3839]

That is mainly true among very conservative and fundamentalist religious sects; and among those who start to question them.

[@nietzschesghost8529]

One was also happier when they believed their parents had all the answers to life, that Santa Claus brought them presents, and during that awkward teenage phase when one believed that "karma" will balance out all the good and the bad in the universe. But just to aim for "happy" is a kind of saccharine vapidity, which is how religion felt to me personally after a while. Conflict and risk and daring are also integral parts of a full and examined life, and those are only fully open to you after you accept reality for what it is instead of seeking shelter in a religion.

[@martley2672]

This is very well said. Growing up I identified myself to be religious and now that I've grown up and is more open and not as spiritual as before, I've become overly pragmatic and distressed.

[@adamhaynes1695]

I agree with Robert's points. Additionally, I view religion as a Comfort Blankie for a civilization. You needed when it you were an infant and the world was big and scary. Now you're growing up and it's time to face reality instead of clinging to comfort. If you don't cast it aside you're going to have developmental problems as an adult civilization. Problems that we are seeing now.

[@eschaton2834]

I respect this guy immensely. He makes an atheist like myself long for an ability to suspend disbelief.

[@theboombody]

Maybe truth is overrated. Obviously nature doesn't care whether you believe the truth or a lie. It's just going to go on regardless.

[@greatexpectations6577]

That is what I had been thinking too; join a church just for the sake of belonging and, in the process, gain a positive affirmation of existence. Right now, I am riddled with existential dread.

[@prakritisingha6906]

Professor's voice has enough antidepressant effect on me to be hopeful of humanity.

[@ShawnRavenfire]

I have a hypothesis of my own about religion. When we're children, and we don't understand something, want something, or whatever, we turn to our parents for help and guidance. We learn to bargain with them, plead with them, and when we don't get what we want, we usually find out there's a reason. Later, when we're adults, we solve most of our problems ourselves, but every once in a while, we get stuck, and then, *unconsciously*, we fall back on what worked for us as children, which is to look upward and start pleading to a parental figure. Notice that almost everyone looks up when refer to god(s), which is the same direction children look toward their parents. We also see god(s) as our creators and our moral judges, also parental traits. Thoughts?

[@mayritag4372]

Yes . Carl Gustav Jung mentions that our parents are psychological representations of God's and compares our relationship with our parents to that of the trinity.

[@darknecropsy]

Sorry , I keep trying to listen to what you say but I keep getting distracted by that awesome rocking beard of yours

[@derek9153]

Nilo de Roock, Interesting. Care to elaborate?

[@campbellbailey9614]

@@NilodeRoock I don't get it-silence is golden golden golden

[@normanshadow1]

And the hair!

[@whatthefunction9140]

As a long time atheist I have used positive thinking, meditation, and exercise.

[@kartikmessner2868]

Hey..can you tell me how it is working out out for you ?if you are still continuing ? i myself am an atheist and use the exact same 3 things you mentioned.i am 31 and it has only been a year since I have been meditating though.absolutely fascinating how useful it is becoming.and it's also cool to see the world of secular alternatives evolving.

[@whatthefunction9140]

@@kartikmessner2868 I'm good. Thanks for asking.

[@oasisneko1]

@@kartikmessner2868 For a good read about atheism, check out Ralph Lewis, psychiatrist.

[@N0Xa880iUL]

Same. I'd have gone back to believing if I could. But apparently it doesn't work that way. It is possible momentarily with certain effort but not lasting.

[@felipediazdevivar4869]

Thanks, I am atheist. I was really curious about why people have the need of believing, your approach is a game changer view! I am going to read your book behave Greetings from Argentina

[@oasisneko1]

Psychiatrist Ralph Lewis, also a secular Jewish atheist, wrote a compelling book on the health benefits of atheism, not that he was trying to persuade anyone. Instead, he embraces randomness (kind of like Buddhists do) and science. Thinking that there is a cause behind everything also has some pernicious side effects. Religion also has some us/them issues. Ultimately, sincerity and reality are the most therapeutic attitudes. I agree.

[@kyoai]

If religion is an anti-depressant, aka something temporary to controll the fear, then science is the actual cure. If humans use religion to explain the unexplained to take away the fear from the unknown, then we should support science even more, because - unlike religion - science is working on actually finding factual and realistic explanations for the things we don't know yet.

[@OmniversalInsect]

Science helps us discover the truth, and for some people the truth is scary.

[@GuillaumeDenry]

@@OmniversalInsect the truth should be scary for everyone: the universe is totally indifferent and cold and we are all gonna suffer for eternity

[@MelFinehout]

I think it would be interesting to see what effects secular practice of traditionally religious practices would have. I went atheist, was depressed, the started meditating and practiced gratitude, compassion and acceptance. I feel better than ever. I think it's a gap in science that we haven't given people who leave skydaddy a way to benefit mentally.

[@Charlotte_Martel]

Maybe for some religion is a stress reducer, but in my family, it was a major (if not the primary) source of stress. None of us kids wanted to wake up early on Sunday, dress in uncomfortable clothes, and sing drony songs with people we didn't like/were indifferent to. My mother clearly didn't want to go herself because as soon as we were adults, she stopped attending any kind of religious service (she still believes and considers herself Christian but just doesn't see the point of mass gatherings). We did it simply because the culture at the time stated that in order for your kids to be good people, they had to attend church. Period. No one besides my father actually wanted to be there. As for belief in a benevolent creator, these believers must not believe in the god of the Bible. Yahweh killed people left and right, had his people commit whole-scale genocide, and even allowed Satan to torture a faithful follower to settle a bet. Not a very loving deity in any stretch of the imagination. Not to mention the fact that anyone can see that prayers are not answered, good people suffer as much (if not more) than evil ones, and there is no proof of any afterlife. It's much more comforting to accept an indifferent universe which operates according to scientific laws than one run by a deity who supposedly loves you and could stop all suffering with absolutely no effort but chooses not to because? He works in mysterious ways, non?

[@waitaminute2015]

👍

[@avenger1212]

“If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.” C.S. Lewis - Mere Christianity If it is true that there is no real significance to the human life other than what we ourselves can prescribe to it so that we can delude ourselves with some sense of peace, why is it so important to us that there is meaning to our lives? I don't think people are depressed by the idea our lives are finite. We deal with finite things every day. It's that ultimately our universe will cease to be, and us with it, and everything we've ever accomplished will turn to dust and be forgotten, that makes the proposition hard to bear if not unlivable. Why try at all? Late in life, Tolstoy called life a "cruel stupid joke", one all the grimmer for the awareness of our "inescapable impermanence". Nietzsche had his parable of the madman, "How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it? There has never been a greater deed; and whoever is born after us -- for the sake of this deed he will belong to a higher history than all history hitherto."..."God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him." I don't know if there's a god out there or not, but I do know the universe takes on a whole new meaning if there isn't, and that meaning ain't pretty. I can live with dying forever one day. It's the concept that everything I've done in my life is as temporal as I was. And even worse, that applies to the people I care about too. Art, songs, literature, all just as temporal as we are. You can cure cancer, and all you're doing is buying time for creatures that will soon face the same grim fate thereafter. When you go there, all you will ever be able to claim at the end of the day is that a good time was had by all. It's all you're left with. Pleasure. That's the depressing part I see when I look over into atheism. And, there's a never ceasing voice at the back of my head, just as the first humans must have had, that says "There must be more to this than that." If there's no meaning in the universe, why does it bother me so much?

[@MiguelArcangel12]

I was glad to read this comment amongst so much other nonsense. I hope you're closer to finding the truth.

[@galterv]

RS got it right. Very right. However, he certainly was not the first to understand the benefits of religion. One of my favorites is by Karl Marx: "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people". And in a painful universe, little opium now and then is a good thing.

[@Bear5177]

Excellent points, though I must point out that I’m much more happy as an atheist than I was when I still believed in a god. And I wonder how healthy it could be to remain religious in today’s scientifically literate societies. True, having those stress-reducing mechanisms from religion are nice, but wouldn’t it be better and therefore more stress-reducing to have a good foundation of scientific knowledge about life and the more intellectual/philosophical business of living?

[@Lucan47]

The more scientific education you give to a population, the less they will turn to religion and superstitious thinking; the opposite is also true.

[@santiagoabliterature]

@T3KKANッ we are just matter, its true, but that doesnt mean those particles cant see a pack of doves going into the clouds and see beauty, awe, wonder, value. That which makes life valuable. What is so amazing about a dictator who tells you you cant masturbate or you go to hell. God of love is bullshit.

[@rodriguezelfeliz4623]

"A good foundation of scientific knowledge about life and the more inyellectual/philosophical bussiness of living", well... sorry to break it to you, but it's really true that the more you learn the less you know. The more you learn the more you discover how meaningless everything you will ever experience is. I'm glad you are more happy as an atheist, but I think that's the perfect example of what individual differences is. Not all atheist are less happy, but religious people do tend to be happier.

[@rodriguezelfeliz4623]

@@santiagoabliterature but then you can understand how beauty, awe and wonder are just a primitive response created by organized matter in order to survive and pass down genes. Your subjective experience of value is an ilusion created by a prticular organization of atoms, and that's depressing as hell.

[@santiagoabliterature]

@@rodriguezelfeliz4623 to me its not depressive. its depressive to have been told heaven exists and then know it doesnt, thats what the people who promote religion provoke. we are good at surviving sometimes but the marvelous thing is that we can enjoy it, find value, even when our genes arent surviving. its not illusory to have value, youre reducing the nature of human life if you think value is illusory.

[@Kimberly-nw4ud]

I think it depends on how much control matters to a person as well.

[@qtip4747]

Kinda wish I could go back to believing. But it's like trying to un-ring a bell. Now probably nothing could get me back to that. What you say makes sense. I have an existential crisis almost daily haha.

[@ratbullkan]

haha

[@ratbullkan]

same. what a mess

[@l3goo00s4]

one thing you could never do is go back to believing, just like zizek says

[@MelFinehout]

Science needs to conceive a practice that gives the benefits without the sacrifice of reason and that is less seceptible to abuse.

[@patrickdodds7162]

This! Read Ken Wilber!

[@chiliray4515]

I would suggest Zen Buddhism.

[@x16881]

try meditation (not related to any religion)

[@aina2165]

@@x16881 Yes and start every day seeing what is positive in your life, being grateful is highly effective.

[@videovedo36]

The last thing we needed was an atheist supporting religion as he seems to do here. I see his point, but I don't think it's a strong one. In the column of suggestions here on the right there are two videos of Dr. Sapolsky speaking (I think the second is likely an extract of the first one) called "Dr. Robert Sapolsky's lecture about Biological Underpinnings of Religiosity" and "Religion is a Mental Illness Dr Sapolsky" and now I'm very curious to watch them and see how they can harmonize with this one.

[@WTFate]

Good points. However, I think in today's day and age, we have reached a new level of communication and understanding we haven't had before in history, and religion has become more of a psychological virus. Before, religion gave you peace with matters you didn't understand, but that surrounded your every day lives. Now, we have the internet, we have science that has come very far, we understand much of our biological and cosmological histories, and religion only keeps us blind, deluded, and uneducated. I agree religion was a crutch, and still is for many people, but we are already at , or are approaching, a time where religious beliefs are intervening with so many peoples lives and education.

[@pabreo]

But we can still have our faith just keep to ourselves, all god is the source of the tree we call the universe

[@Idela905]

As a Christian I appreciate and have learned so much from Dr Sapolsky. His knowledge and manner of teaching is superb. 🙏🏻

[@drosos_strength_coaching]

I would argue that a placebo which acts as a antidepressant is really a hallucinogen

[@KeithCooper-Albuquerque]

Dr. Sapolsky is an excellent professor and scientist. I love his work, especially his series about human biology (at Stanford). Great stuff!

[@Guizambaldi]

What really bothers me is that the conclusion is that too much intelligence is not an asset. It could induce existential anxiety and depression. You will either end up truly atheist or have to come up with elaborate rationalizations to fool yourself into some sort of religious thinking. You are less fit this way. Nature clearly favors average to slightly high intelligence.

[@tobiashagstrom4168]

Sure, but aside from them being almost certainly wrong, religions do a lot of more practical harm. A religion can bring comfort for some, for others it bring despair over the fear of going to hell, or their loved ones going to hell, etc. That, and the depression rates could also have something to do with intelligent people more often being atheists, and intelligent people more often being more cynical and aware of the world's problems.

[@JansherAquib]

Having been on both sides of the fence, I Can Say with Certainty that 'I Don't Know any better' . I cannot say with absolute certainty that there isn't a higher power , an all powerful being, nor can I say that there does exist such an all powerful being with absolute certainty, for i don't know any better. I can only poke really small holes at the fabric of the working of the world and only try to understand the mechanics of the world with my limited sense of observation and intellectual capabilities , my inherent human frailities and insecurities. I can just have empathy for people on both sides of the fence and reserve my judgements.

[@oasisneko1]

I'm like you, but I asked myself, "Does it matter?" and the answer is no (for me). I find some atheists very convincing. (But not celebrity atheists who mischaracterise religion like Bill Maher!)

[@OmniversalInsect]

I think it is unknowable, but so are things like the universe being a simulation or you being a brain in a jar. There is no point in obsessing over these unknowable proposals.

[@nancychace8619]

It is interesting. I participated in a weekend workshop years ago at Santa Clara University that explored the relationship between faith and healing. They focused on numerous studies, many of which showed a positive correlation between prayer and health outcomes. One of the things they looked at was cancer patients. People who were prayed for had statistically better outcomes. Though I tend to have my own individual take on religiosity, I've prayed for positive outcomes for people suffering illness, our poor tired planet and other assorted challenges ever since. Whatever works. 🙂

[@nancychace8619]

PS - A quote: "What does it matter how I pray so long as my prayers are answered?" - Sitting Bull

[@Chris-es3wf]

Which explains why many people "believe" and "belong" to a religion despite never practicing (or actively opposing) it in their daily lives. It provides the individual an unwitting benefit. However, the extrapolation of religion to the societal level has caused more depression and suffering than any other man-made construct. The irony.

[@pabreo]

Stalin and mao are atheist brothers

[@same0077]

The end was epic

[@Charlio23]

It looks like there's a hidden message in his hair.

[@FoxinTaiwan]

It was an inside job.

[@Jenkkimie]

If anything religious stupidity is what causes my occasional depressive mood. I especially despise violence in the name of it.

[@holla_j]

The sad truth is that as someone else pointed out in the comments already, the mind likes to have answers. We are all for the most part terrified of the unknown and long for answers to help us cope. Life can be utterly tragic and unfair at times. Actually life can feel unfair 95 % of the time and that would explain why 90 - 95% of people throughout history leaned on their faith. Someone else also pointed out that the more knowledge you have the more grief you have. Ignorance is truly bliss and some days I wish I could go back to that state of being. What is worse, knowing what the problem is without having a solution or not knowing what the problem is but believing a solution is on the way? I think we all know what the answer is.......sigh life.

[@biggibbs4678]

Is it really though? Plenty of people live happy lives despite this.

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

As someone who turned his back on all conventional religion I found solace in my own particular spiritual path which is more Taoist/Buddhist. I prefer to be informed, up to a point, about the threats to the world which by extension includes potential threats to my life. And I have my own struggles with mental health issues which were not addressed even remotely by any adherence to a religion. In fact I was much worse off before my own spirituality began to evolve.

[@EveyJamo]

'health benefits' Yeah, for everyone not being stoned, shunned, executed, bashed, exiled, tortured, hacked to death... the list just goes on and on and on.

[@jeandupont8501]

I find the idea that the universe is completely indépendant and unpredictable, dangerous and doesn't give a damn about me utterly amazing ! It is fascinating to behold how free that makes us in reality ! Enjoy it and let the absence of purpose be your antidepressant : if nothing really matters, then you can just enjoy life and have fun out there 😁😄 Cheers !!

[@FilipeBrasAlmeida]

Not sure where Sapolsky is getting his data or findings from, but there is pretty robust statistical data to support that societal health/individual well-being and religiosity are inversely correlated.

[@cafetonight123]

So true, I'm not engage in any forms of religion, and I got depress most of the time, or at least anxiety. Religious groups just give you some companion feelings, sense of belong to a larger group, nothing special or benevolent about it.

[@louisburke8927]

A big part of my atheism I believe is how poorly I was treated by the so called religious community I grew up in, I couldn't reconcile the pain and injustice I was experiencing with the message that I was living in a "wonderful Catholic utopia." Not to mention the revelation of covert sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. Religion's may make a certain high percent of the population happy but can be really cruel to those, through no fault of their own, who have subversive and aberrant thinking.

[@Heronicle]

Trigger of people under this video is priceless. :)

[@johns9350]

I'd think that there are a lot of people in church on Sunday who aren't really believers but go anyway out of habit. It's just the place the family goes on Sunday. Kids that won't listen to their parents and aren't easy to civilize need to know that there's a "higher authority."

[@atypical_moto]

Yes, Religion is an evolutionary self-preservation measure. Religion is the solution to the problem of higher consciousness that isn't quite high enough to handle the truth.

[@AmazingStoryDewd]

Because life itself is hell. It's a trick to keep us going.

[@muppaneniteja1160]

It depends on how deep the religion affects your daily life also imo. If it gives you a meaning or purpose or hope then it’s fine but if it intrudes into your personal space and dictates what to wear/what to eat/ whom to mate with/ etc, I don’t see pros outweighing cons!

[@Shack]

Just because the majority does it, doesn't mean it's "the best". Everyone used to smoke cigarettes until we became more educated on the the health risks.

[@denisdenak]

Actually, that's exactly what it means. Religion has been there for thousands of years, enough time for evolutionary pressure to kick in. Your thinking is flawed because you assume there were no "atheistic" communities in the past. Well, don't you think they died out cause they could not compete?

[@Shack]

@@denisdenak I honestly have no idea what you are trying to say? I said that following the status quo doesn't mean they're right. How is my logic flawed? People still smoke to this day, knowing it is not good for them, and it is no where near as common in the USA as it used to be. Religion in the US has also seen major declines starting around 1991. So I am still confused as to what you are trying to say?

[@denisdenak]

@@Shack "I said that following the status quo doesn't mean they're right" - Absolutely agree. But it also doesn't mean that the opposite is right. And providing one example of such case (analogy that is flawed in and of itself) does not add to your argument. The reason your analogy isn't applicable here (IMHO) is because: 1. Smoking (in the current form) hasn't been long enough to make any substantial claims of its effect on society. 2. Religion is ubiquitous throughout cultures and has been there for thousands of years and isn't going anywhere soon. Smoking (in the current form) is merely the product of capitalism and greed. It doesn't serve any meaningful function to the society as we know, nor has any health benefits to the individuals that consume it. And comparing the two is incredibly simplistic and naive to say the least. If anything, the fact that smoking is so prevalent should point out to the irrational nature of human beings that needs to be fulfilled, not tarnished.

[@MisterBinx]

That may be true but you can't force yourself to believe anymore than you can unlearn to read. Some people just can't. If there is a god it's nothing like anything humans describe.

[@civilsavant6072]

Interesting. Robert, how do you reconcile this notion with the fact that all the most religious countries have the lowest average happiness, worst rates of education, and lead the world in violent crime, sexism and poverty? Even in just one country like the USA, where there is a broad spectrum of religiosity, you can examine it on a state by state or county by county basis and find the same consistent correlation between religion and suffering. Is it really an antidepressant or just an antagonistic sedative? My life is certainly less stressful since I escaped religion.

[@angelic8632002]

Civil Savant He never said it was the best strategy. Only that it was one

[@civilsavant6072]

Indeed, and I have seen first hand how religion can have apparently beneficial impact on an individual's life. My own father was severely traumatized by the death of his wife, such that it put him on the verge of total mental collapse. Religion, with its 'after-life' ideas, has been the refuge he fled to, to help him cope with that trauma and remain a productive member of society for the decades since. But, is it better to bury someone's head in a dune of fairytales, which may work for some but not others, or to instead dedicate those resources to a real study of the real problem in search of remedy that may be effective for everyone so that we can all live healthily and happily without sacrificing our grip on reality? I think religion is like money, there was a time when it had potentially positive impact on our ignorant prehistoric ancestors, to help them survive difficult situations (such as my father's), but now we have well outgrown it, and it is only holding back humanity's progress.

[@Lucan47]

Religion, as a natural antidepressant, became the ideal manipulation tool of oppressed populations everywhere. It's a sad vicious cycle of injustice making people turn to religion which can be used to justify the status quo which perpetuates the injustice.

[@btbingo]

The imaginary protective buddy never protects you. You protect yourself via the agency of your imagination.

[@pabreo]

But your still less sad and more less depressed

[@MisterDoctorE]

Impossible for me to believe in god(s)... I can not choose what to believe, I need evidence.. as it stands, man created god(s), not the other way around.

[@necrisro]

Because it's irrational that this chunk of meat that evolved from lesser chunks of meat over so many generations is in any way entitled to an after-life, to a specific creator who listens and so on, and yes, it is depressing as fuck.

[@MisterDoctorE]

Why not believe in Skeletor, He-Man... same thing, fiction.

[@zabelicious]

Why not believe in yourself? You can come up with your own answers can't you?

[@MegaPakhandi]

Fundamentally it boils down to memory systems, and hence what are the prerequisites for memory to come into existence ?

[@bdog111]

Throughout history man has enslaved man using 3 tools; The sword (The State/Government), The Pen (The Church/Media) and The Coin (Fiat Debt-Based Monetary System dependent on taxation/statism). To be mentally enslaved by religion is to believe in the same thing as all the others, that there is a deity (or multiple deities) above you, bigger than you, your creator and more powerful than you. Meanwhile the pastor/priest/friar/pope/witch doctor are benefiting from you in some way (usually economically). When it comes to speculation I have my own ideas, based on some evidence to boot. Infinite inner and outer space, infinite time, a "fractal-like" existence with duality, dual membranes on everything and everything is life at some point. Therefor we are infinite life living in infinite life. Do I live my life by this? No. Faith? No way! Hope? Fuck hope! (Hope makes people in-active/not taking action)

[@OmniversalInsect]

As a non-believer I can absolutely accept that religion has properties that can make believers happier and less likely to be depressed even if I may think that this is equivalent to deluding yourself. I still think that organised religion has an overall negative impact on society and this is not balanced out by the good aspects.

[@lyngs]

The Human brain just wants an explanation for everything. Curiosity and seeking answers might be a biological evolutionary trait, but Religion is just a side-effect of that. By trying to explain something that can not be explained with facts or individually too complex to grasp. Improve the school system! Ignorance is not bliss...

[@manielliott9188]

No. Religion serves o help us cope. It evolved because it helped early humans to cope if they feel that there's a better place that they will end up going to or there is some greater force out there who will help them. It helped them to go on and so they would do better than those without religion. Religion also served to answer questions. But it seems quite unlikely to be purely a biproduct of curiosity because humans and animals already have bad, secular explanations as to why things happen. It's unlikely that it had one, true evolutionary origin, However, as a coping mechanism, it seems more likely.

[@0cards0]

religion is more likely to be the product of a coping mechanism, as it has mental health benefits

[@0cards0]

ed smith what do you mean that they are false?

[@MumblingMickey]

If humans were twice as bright, lived four times as long and spent a century in education they would end up with MORE questions about how the world worked not less. Although I accept they would demand more precise answers than 'fairies stole my cappuccino!'

[@robertbones326]

No it doesn't, I'm fine with not knowing everything. So what I don't know where the electron is? I don't need to know. You could all be fake and I'm a brain in a vat... nothing matters.

[@celadewallace474]

One thing I've realized in my thinking is that I don't need to have religion to experience love, acceptance, caring -- a whole host of things felt and directed by and towards others. We can literally practice this state of mind despite the world often seeming harsh and callous. I'd much rather live in a world where we intentionally try to care for others than a world that engages in pure delusion. That said as an atheist I do face the existential absurdity of life and suffering. I disagree with so much of how we culturally discount the value of life and the wellbeing of others. And until recently, after undergoing ketamine treatments, have been immensely depressed.

[@holdmybeer]

The Christian religion has worked for my "born again" Brother. I prefer psychoactive induced spirituality.

[@ricardodelacrvz1400]

believing in spirituality is the same as believing in religion

[@hobnob666]

@@ricardodelacrvz1400 Not necessarily since spirituality doesn’t lead to dogmas but both do have no evidence to back it up.

[@ricardodelacrvz1400]

@@hobnob666 ???

[@hobnob666]

@@ricardodelacrvz1400 It’s not hard to understand. Religion has a set of guidelines to follow & believe. Spirituality in itself does not. I could believe in spirits yet not be religious. Not that I am but I could.

[@ricardodelacrvz1400]

@@hobnob666 spiritulity has no cohesive and collective meaning. Youre giving your own interpretation of that. No biologist or physician can explain spirituality because the term in itself is already meta and supernatural. claiming spirituality is the same as claiming god. both abstract concepts that for me personally mean fairytales, tooth fairies, magical bs no ones undertands. just an empty word imo

[@MrsZambezi]

I find the far too high percentage of the population believing in utter nonsense rather depressing.

[@GriffinKneesock]

The TL;DR of 95% of the comments. "As an atheist, I'm not trying to seem like I know absolute truth. But I'm superior than religious people and have absolute truth."

[@greenanubis]

Not having an absolute truth doesnt make ones standpoint wrong. But in terms of reliability and predictive power its very easy to rate ones beliefs. Nobody is completely right, its just that some are more wrong than others.

[@Fascistbeast]

Scientific “truths” that are proven is better than fairy tales 👏

[@newingvaeona8907]

Divine Linker how are some more wrong than others? Conclusion doesn’t follow the premise that no one is right.

[@Fascistbeast]

Tony Scott I agree but sometimes indoctrination is hard to unlearn. I’ve witnessed it in my church

[@backdoorbeaver2441]

Religion and IQ are inversely correlated, religious people are just ignorant

[@AndrewMSmith130]

I would LOVE to go back to believing in Father Christmas again as it made Christmas so magical! But how can I go back and believe in something that I know does not exist?

[@Jacob-cd9ew]

I disagree with this. Spirituality is what makes people happy. Religion and cults are not healthy for people. There is a spiritual component to religion but when you have a fear of hell its not healthy for yourself and others. It makes good people do horrible things.

[@dmitrinosovicki5992]

It is true that living in a world of fantasy can be less stressful. However, it is the understanding and not the property of it being false that reduces stress. Saying that the religious picture is less stressful contradicts plenty of evidence. Finally, humans did not tend to take the path of the least stress historically.

[@arasha5718]

best youtube recommendation this week, thank :)

[@onezero9956]

there is a interview with him about his religious views where he says he is incabpable of expierencing religiosity and envying people who can . but would he be still a complete atheist if he was capable of religiosity ?

[@tme98]

If he was capable of ignoring all his very ground-based education then yes. But that is not something you do. We all wish to be a blissful-idiot again, a child. Who doesn’t prefer that over the alternative?

[@attheranch873]

When he was young he was capable. In fact, he was devout. Now he just knows too much to fall for any of it.

[@niklaszinai8534]

I love the 5% atheist twist at the ending

[@OmniversalInsect]

As someone who wasn't really brought up with religion and stopped believing in a god as soon as I grew old enough, I never really had a problem with depression or lack of purpose. I think I've always had a whimsical fascination with how the world works and that fulfils my "spiritual" desire without resorting to the supernatural.

[@MultiCrawler1]

if one really feels depressed about it they can always seek council i mean im sure most if not all psychologist or therapist for that matter are athiest.

[@alanroberts7916]

Five per cent is exactly the number of trully couragous people that you are likely find!!!

[@samwolfe1000]

Isn't it important to note that the stress supposedly reduced by religion is caused by unmet needs in the first place? Natural stress factors like the inevitable death can be moderated by wise traditions of ecological philosophy.

[@justachick9793]

"You were born flawed and will suffer eternal damnation if you don't love perfectly and worship a cruel thing!" Yeah, great anti-depressant you got there, religion.

[@peterderrig1710]

Even though I’m a believer, I am grateful that I am open enough to check out this guys stuff because he is amazing.

[@toddboothbee1361]

I've been trying to re-believe in the Easter Bunny to reduce stress, but I feel terrible, really bad for failing at this. Perhaps I'm not trying hard enough? I hang out with first graders and we share our Easter Bunny inspired hopes and dreams, but when I go home or back to work, all the fun evaporates. I've really got to do this to lower my anxiety over the state of the world and the loss of my loved ones. Why has the Easter Bunny abandoned me to hopelessness? Oh, Peter Cottontail, why can't you be real?

[@alanroberts7916]

Todd Boothbee perfect...he's way to nice to religion here...not the best athiest role model imo.

[@aina2165]

You`re funny! 😅

[@davidtagauri2034]

What exactly is stress-reducing about eternal damnation, demons, wrath of god, psalm 109, day of judgement, "there is no peace for the wicked", or "They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth"?

[@santiagoabliterature]

Only evil people go to hell, thats how they get you. The point is that seeking magic father on the clouds who protects you feels good but it prevents you from bettering your situation eg: youve built a chair, if you get paid less than fair, you'll say "god will solve this", but if you don't believe in god you'll have to say "pay me the fair price and i'll give you the chair". Now is when you get up, make a product or service and negotiate to get what you think is fair, now its when we stop contamination, now its when we build rockets to ensure our future, now its when we have children and now is when we do good, and not say "god will make things right at the end". Thats so fucking stupid, losing the now for the fake

[@felipecmartins89]

amazing and depressing at the same time haha

[@Ellier215]

I've always wondered this question- the evolutionary aspect of "meta-magical thinking" (religion) and why it's found in mostly all societies, past and present.

[@warezpl0]

Religion is human's crutch.

[@Kafei]

Reality is a crutch for atheists who can't handle religious experience.

[@sickeningnoandrealfierceto]

I have tried but cannot bring myself to blindly 'believe' in any religion. 95% of believers is shocking, I don't encounter many people who believe.

[@GlassheartRecords]

When people dislike before watching the video.

[@Afinati]

Matt Perez What about after the video? I disliked because correlation isn't causation; smarter people are more depressed as well, so maybe that's got more to do with depression than belief in a god. And I always bristle at the false dichotomy between cold, rationalist atheism and feeling, humane religiosity. That's just not an depiction of the groups at most ... and at least it's harmful over-generalization about folks.

[@MegaMercernary]

Afinati “Smarter people”? As in what, when you say _smarter_ it’s like you’re saying religious people aren’t smart themselves. And so you say... a random smart person who you don’t know is just as depressed as a religious person. Keep in mind you didn’t specify what kind of “smart” persons they are. And it’s not a generalization, it’s a moot assumption, not meant to offend. This is more on the biological level of understanding why religion exists in the first place.

[@Nikagor]

But religion is breaking down the person first, before building said person up again. Not to mention the stress is just reduced for a short time, faith requieres you to disregard science and logical reasoning. the depression rate aswell has many different reasons, in a world full of religions we are fighting constant uphill battles, logical thinking and the clear understanding that certain things happen because its random chance is a cruel realisation. on the other hand religion is a wonderful little drug, distracting you from reality, creating some person or thing that cares for you, but disregarding the side effects, as usual no drug user would actually really face the side effects of the drug of their choice, otherwise they would stop using them.

[@kevinrex7414]

TRIGGERED. HARDCORE TRIGGERED.

[@CarlosSuperCute]

Religion IS Not like an AntiDepressant! It is more like Opium... "Religion is the Opium of the Masses" - Karl Marx It also Depends on the Ideaology of the Religion.

[@isthisnamegood]

95% is pretty damn high. Last I checked it was only combined did the religious outnumber Athiest's in many western countries. I prefer depressing reality to even the most euphoric slavery to an imaginary sky being. I think you'll find most Athiests are the same. We came from religious backgrounds for precisely that reason, it was personally stifling and emotionally damaging to remain.

[@MetallicReg]

Take this number with a high statistical uncertainty. I can give you an example for Germany. Officially there are only 33% atheists, but if you look closely you will find that of the other 67% only a very small fraction would really qualify as religious. Most have absolutely no contact with religion (other than some Christmas presents and overall education in school). You have the type of religion in your ID only for some job purposes and tradition (even this is fading). So you can call additional 40% at least agnostics - making a 27% of remaining theists in the center of Europe (which belong mostly to the old generation). Germany is not the only example. Same story with the old UDSSR - the religions were actively suppressed for a long time so that today's generations grew very rational about them.

[@isthisnamegood]

See that "Personally" part Meltr...I wonder what that could mean.

[@isthisnamegood]

Which isn't what you're doing, right? See a sentence with things like "I prefer" "I think" "personally" just might be making an anecdotal observation. Unlike you, I wasn't making definitive statements. But I put it to you that if someone abandons their faith for Atheism it is likely because they didn't want to be faithful anymore...outrageous as claims go I know, but I'll go there.

[@GriffinKneesock]

Good gods your wording and profile picture make you seem you just put on a fedora and crawled out of reddit.

[@lightsidemaster]

My religion is science. Has always been that way.

[@greatexpectations6577]

I consider myself atheist 99% of the time; but, in two specific life threatening situation, my brain automatically reverted to the comfort of religion. The first time was when I had a sever anxiety attack and the second was when I got in an accident on the highway. I will consider myself perfect atheist when i no longer revert to superstition in moment of vulnerability.

[@fabian5002]

Thank you for sharing. It happened to me once, when my father had an accident. I automatically reverted.

[@greatexpectations6577]

@@fabian5002isn’t it perplexing? It makes me question my rationality and makes me think that my brain has a mind of its own that doesn’t subscribe to my identity.

[@JoryBlake]

Damn that was refreshing to hear.....

[@milans2477]

I don't think Dr Sapolsky has read through much anthropological literature to explore religious beliefs beyond Western thought. Many spiritual world-views do not postulate a single benevolent deity and are much more complex than that. They can often be causes of stress in themselves with countless demons and bad spirits waiting around the corner to bring you harm. Often there is a NEGOTIATION between believers and spiritual forces/deities, there are offerings and efforts at appeasement, but nothing ever guarantees goodwill and safety in most belief systems. It's little different to the atheist washing his/her hands during a pandemic. It's a ritual you employ to reduce the odds of being harmed by an invisible entity, whether you believe that entity is a virus or a demon is quite a superficial difference I think. Not to mention that the idea of one single benevolent deity came about very late in our evolutionary development, and at a time when that idea did little to make a significant impact on the survival of humanity at large, as we were already mastering the natural and material world by then. Before the Abrahamic religions, most cultures had an assortment of deities with various characters, benevolent, malevolent, or something in between (like the in/famous trickster deities), so I don't see how this belief system would make life easier to bare than believing in a world in which no greater good power exists but in which there are also no demons out to get you, indeed a world in which man is the most powerful being. And even so, Christianity has its own devil which is a cause for much distress among believers. Seriously, some Christians are genuinely driven mad by the thought of their actions being influenced by Satan. Dr Sapolsky is revered by so many agnostics/atheists but honestly, he has little understanding of religions, traditional cultures and "meta-magical" thinking. He often cherry picks his evidence and that's disappointing to see from a Stanford professor. I am also curious about whether religion is an antidepressant because it supposedly gives you a high degree of control in life, or because it gives meaning to the world around you, because it connects you to your surroundings rather than alienate you from them, like atheism does. For atheists have countless rituals (all born from science or modern forms of life) with which to gain a sense of control and comfort, from washing hands to healthy diets to following rules on the road to living in a policed community. I think the difference is that spiritual believers feel part of a bigger whole or feel connected to something greater, whether that's a single deity like Christianity, or whether it's a complex world of dozens, even hundreds of deities-some benevolent and some dangerous-all of whom we can commune, or interact, with. It is about being part of a greater cosmic community or being an isolated individual in a meaningless world that makes the difference between a meaningful life and one affected by depression I would say.

[@TactlessGuy]

Monotheistic religions definitely give their believers a higher sense of order. "Antidepressant" is a weird way to describe it, but there's a reason why Christians refer to God as "Father." When a benevolent authoritative figure tells you to do something, you'll do it without a second thought even though you initially wouldn't if it was of your own accord. It's an abstract delusion that pushes people towards meaning, discipline, and action. You can get that same type of purpose from non-monotheistic faiths, but it's very different and more spiritual rather than dogmatic.

[@abhijeetyadav3454]

this was perfectly demonstrated in Rick & Morty

[@Optimistas777]

which episode and how ?

[@Ibian666]

Must be the one with the tinyverse. Rick's car battery breaks down and things go from there.

[@scorpionmelo943]

the entire show I guess and specifically Rick's life, that is if you've watched to season 4... He is great, genius doesn't believe in God yet there is this lonelyness creeping inside him and he denies it. He denies the fact that he needs people, friends, family, even denies the fact that morty is young and stupid yrt he needs him and all these doesnt add up and doesnt make sense

[@OrganicMint87]

I believe this video does a good job explaining a general and fundamental thinking that religious people have, which is important to understand. Dismissing religious folks as simple minded idiots is not an especially effective way of convincing them of the benefits in having a secular lifestyle. The conclusion that this video serves as a sneaky attempt to advertise religion misses the point. I have believed for while that religion served as an evolutionary advantage for several millennium, while society sorted out ideas that accurately described our universe. Glad to see this professor talk about this idea, and start a conversation around this topic.

[@virginiamoss7045]

Are you saying that we no longer need religion because now we know so much that the unknown doesn't seem so threatening? I could go along with that. I find that religion and all other delusions and shrinking from reality are detrimental to the continued evolution of humans even though it has served its positive purpose in past evolution.

[@philipdove1705]

You just converted me to christianity

[@dhilipraja]

🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂🤣 The more u know

[@lonelycubicle]

So what is up with that 5%? Link please

[@staas1737]

Incoming triggered atheists' comments

[@AutumnsFairy]

Atheists get exteremely triggered, then get angry when Muslims want to defend their prophet. They are super hypocrites. It seems that before they eventually kill themselves (they have the highest suicide rates), they tend to lie to themselves everyday - maybe while fail meditating :L

[@ubersteigen]

I have no doubt that belief in a magical/supernatural-being looking out for you would have positive effects with getting on in life.. But, that's still just a crutch when you have two perfectly good legs! And then that crutch becomes a hindrance to your own full potential!

[@stephanieparrish9059]

Ignorance is bliss.