Why Are We Believers? Test Yourself! [Read First Post]

[Guybrush]

Do you consider yourself a skeptic? This is a simple test you can do in order to see whether or not you are a rational being, free from superstition. It works best if you dedicate yourself and follow the steps of the test as I describe. You only need a pen or a pencil and something to write on and the test should only take a minute or so.

So that I don't spoil the subsequent steps of the game, I will use the spoiler tags and divide the game up into three steps. Of course you start with 1.

Spoiler for STEP 1:

Write down the name of someone you love on a piece of paper, be it your lover, wife, child, parent or friend

Spoiler for STEP 2:

After the name, write "is going to die in a traffic accident tomorrow"

Spoiler for STEP 3:

Did writing this make you feel uncomfortable? While writing, were you thinking of a way to get rid of the note? Did you feel like it would be better to tear it up and throw it away than it would be to burn it?

If you can say yes to all these answers, then you felt or feared that you somehow have the power to influence whether or not people die simply by writing and you felt like you had to get rid of the note in a ritualistic manner. Why do you think that is?

If you did the test, you should have had some sort of experience confronting your own deeply ingrained beliefs or fears. Feel free to write about your experiences in a post, but try not to spoil the test for others.