How Do We Believe?
What does it mean to believe? What is that blind faith that allows us to go forth in life confidently and without fear (most of the time)? How do we know that when we toss a ball upwards, it will come back down? Such questions are at the fundamental core of the human psyche because they are paramount to how we live and function. One cannot believe in a friend the same way one can trust a friend; to believe is so much more profound than mere trust. Why and how this occurs is the core of my research, and the ultimate answer I am hoping to find.
Behind every action lies a choice. Behind every choice is a belief in something, abstract or concrete, that gives someone a reason to act. What motivates people to choose plays a crucial role in determining why people act and behave the way they do. What, then, motivates us to do what we do? Every motivation stems from an intrinsic belief about the world. This can be simply a reflex; if someone sees an object flying at them, they are likely to attempt to dodge it because they believe that that it will hurt them if they do not do so. This can be a child’s obedience to authority; a child who is told to “come here” by a parent tends to go to wherever “here” may be because they believe that if they do not, they will be punished. Adults’ belief in God or other supernatural authority (whether it be a force or a being or multiple beings) is much more difficult to explain. There are many controversies over why to believe in a God or religion; some say it is because it improves emotional health in individuals (Jack et al 2016), and others claim it is believed because it is real and true (Adamson). Therefore, belief is the core to all human behavior, and it is upon this assumption I begin my understanding of how people choose to spend their time.
According to economic theory, people make choices based on a simple rule: Only act in a way that marginal benefit is equal to or greater than marginal cost. Consciously or subconsciously, people weigh the pros and cons of each possible choice they make. These benefits and costs are created by intrinsic beliefs about the world. Someone who believes a flying object coming towards them will not impact them are less likely to dodge it because the benefit had from dodging does not exceed the cost of moving. In the same way, someone who believes that afterlife experience is had based on actions in life is likely to act in ways that better the individual based on their moral code (e.g. someone who believes they have to be kind in order to get to heaven is more likely to donate money than someone who does not).
Leaving belief as unknown variable X, we can use the assumption that belief leads to choice to set up an equation of sorts:
Belief -> choice
X -> Y
Where Y is a choice that is always quantifiable. Assuming this, I can use Y to better understand the nature of X through quantifiable data. The quantification of belief, particularly religious, may be difficult, but is possible. As subjective human beings, we are limited in how we can study other people. We can only understand each other through expression, whether that be language or art or music. This is an extremely limited objectivity. Because every individual has his or her own perceptions, it can be impossible to understand the nature of a subjective individual. Belief in itself is completely subjective within the individual; everyone’s perception of it is wildly different, even between people of the same faith. These differences can be shown through the choices they make: going to church or going to the mall (Gruber and Hungerman 2006), giving five dollars or fifty cents (Shariff and Norezayan 2007), believing more in hell than in heaven (Shariff and Rhemtulla 2012). In this way, it is possible to measure the belief a person has through the way they prefer to spend their time.
For the sake of this study, I want to group people of similar religious degrees and similar faiths and compare each group with one another based on time allocation. Time allocation in itself is an accurate way to measure preferences. Firms use this to distribute resources into capital and consumable categories. In the same way, individuals can do that with their life. Keeping sleeping, eating, and working constant, people can identify how much time (on average) they spend doing different activities (i.e. people can see how much of their time is spent productively versus how much is spent wasted). This reflects the choices made. If every choice is the consequence of the beliefs they hold true (these beliefs determine the marginal benefits and marginal costs of the preference), then people who believe that there is a larger purpose to the individual after life are more likely to spend more of their time capitally than those who do not believe. It is upon these assumptions that I rest my research.
To be able to quantify religious beliefs gives science another way to study human behavior. Religion and faith have been an integral part of human history, and paramount to human development throughout the world. Quantifying religious beliefs allows researchers to understand how people believe, giving more insight into the complex workings of the human mind. Being a subjective subject, religion has been very difficult to study objectively. Its quantification changes that. On the other hand, research into belief systems reveals the beautiful similarities and differences between people. Today’s world is fractioned and divided on religious issues, yet ultimately, there is common ground. Belief still affects behavior, no matter how those beliefs and preferences differ. By proving that people make choices the same way—through beliefs—despite differences in those choices, perhaps people can look beyond the superficial issues dividing each other, and coexist.
Behind every action lies a choice. Behind every choice is a belief in something, abstract or concrete, that gives someone a reason to act. What motivates people to choose plays a crucial role in determining why people act and behave the way they do. What, then, motivates us to do what we do? Every motivation stems from an intrinsic belief about the world. This can be simply a reflex; if someone sees an object flying at them, they are likely to attempt to dodge it because they believe that that it will hurt them if they do not do so. This can be a child’s obedience to authority; a child who is told to “come here” by a parent tends to go to wherever “here” may be because they believe that if they do not, they will be punished. Adults’ belief in God or other supernatural authority (whether it be a force or a being or multiple beings) is much more difficult to explain. There are many controversies over why to believe in a God or religion; some say it is because it improves emotional health in individuals (Jack et al 2016), and others claim it is believed because it is real and true (Adamson). Therefore, belief is the core to all human behavior, and it is upon this assumption I begin my understanding of how people choose to spend their time.
According to economic theory, people make choices based on a simple rule: Only act in a way that marginal benefit is equal to or greater than marginal cost. Consciously or subconsciously, people weigh the pros and cons of each possible choice they make. These benefits and costs are created by intrinsic beliefs about the world. Someone who believes a flying object coming towards them will not impact them are less likely to dodge it because the benefit had from dodging does not exceed the cost of moving. In the same way, someone who believes that afterlife experience is had based on actions in life is likely to act in ways that better the individual based on their moral code (e.g. someone who believes they have to be kind in order to get to heaven is more likely to donate money than someone who does not).
Leaving belief as unknown variable X, we can use the assumption that belief leads to choice to set up an equation of sorts:
Belief -> choice
X -> Y
Where Y is a choice that is always quantifiable. Assuming this, I can use Y to better understand the nature of X through quantifiable data. The quantification of belief, particularly religious, may be difficult, but is possible. As subjective human beings, we are limited in how we can study other people. We can only understand each other through expression, whether that be language or art or music. This is an extremely limited objectivity. Because every individual has his or her own perceptions, it can be impossible to understand the nature of a subjective individual. Belief in itself is completely subjective within the individual; everyone’s perception of it is wildly different, even between people of the same faith. These differences can be shown through the choices they make: going to church or going to the mall (Gruber and Hungerman 2006), giving five dollars or fifty cents (Shariff and Norezayan 2007), believing more in hell than in heaven (Shariff and Rhemtulla 2012). In this way, it is possible to measure the belief a person has through the way they prefer to spend their time.
For the sake of this study, I want to group people of similar religious degrees and similar faiths and compare each group with one another based on time allocation. Time allocation in itself is an accurate way to measure preferences. Firms use this to distribute resources into capital and consumable categories. In the same way, individuals can do that with their life. Keeping sleeping, eating, and working constant, people can identify how much time (on average) they spend doing different activities (i.e. people can see how much of their time is spent productively versus how much is spent wasted). This reflects the choices made. If every choice is the consequence of the beliefs they hold true (these beliefs determine the marginal benefits and marginal costs of the preference), then people who believe that there is a larger purpose to the individual after life are more likely to spend more of their time capitally than those who do not believe. It is upon these assumptions that I rest my research.
To be able to quantify religious beliefs gives science another way to study human behavior. Religion and faith have been an integral part of human history, and paramount to human development throughout the world. Quantifying religious beliefs allows researchers to understand how people believe, giving more insight into the complex workings of the human mind. Being a subjective subject, religion has been very difficult to study objectively. Its quantification changes that. On the other hand, research into belief systems reveals the beautiful similarities and differences between people. Today’s world is fractioned and divided on religious issues, yet ultimately, there is common ground. Belief still affects behavior, no matter how those beliefs and preferences differ. By proving that people make choices the same way—through beliefs—despite differences in those choices, perhaps people can look beyond the superficial issues dividing each other, and coexist.
References
Adamson, Marylin, (n.d.). Is There A God? Retrieved from: http://www.everystudent.com/features/isthere.html.
Gruber, J., and Hungerman, D. (2006). “The Church vs. The Mall: What Happens When Religion Faces Increased Secular Competition?” National Bureau of Economic Research. Working paper. http://www.nber.org/papers/w12410.pdf.
Jack A. I., Friedman, J.P., Boyatzis, R.E., Taylor, S.N. (2016). Why Do You Believe in God? Relationships Between Religious Belief, Analytic Thinking, Mentalizing and Moral Concern. PLOS ONE11(5): e0166283. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155283.
Shariff AF, Rhemtulla M (2012) Divergent Effects of Beliefs in Heaven and Hell on National Crime Rates. PLoS ONE 7(6): e39048. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0039048
Shariff, A. F. & Norenzayan, A. (2007). God Is Watching You: Priming God Concepts Increases Prosocial Behavior in an Anonymous Economic Game. Association for Psychological Science, 18 (9), 803-809.
Gruber, J., and Hungerman, D. (2006). “The Church vs. The Mall: What Happens When Religion Faces Increased Secular Competition?” National Bureau of Economic Research. Working paper. http://www.nber.org/papers/w12410.pdf.
Jack A. I., Friedman, J.P., Boyatzis, R.E., Taylor, S.N. (2016). Why Do You Believe in God? Relationships Between Religious Belief, Analytic Thinking, Mentalizing and Moral Concern. PLOS ONE11(5): e0166283. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155283.
Shariff AF, Rhemtulla M (2012) Divergent Effects of Beliefs in Heaven and Hell on National Crime Rates. PLoS ONE 7(6): e39048. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0039048
Shariff, A. F. & Norenzayan, A. (2007). God Is Watching You: Priming God Concepts Increases Prosocial Behavior in an Anonymous Economic Game. Association for Psychological Science, 18 (9), 803-809.