People who believe in certain supernatural forces may be causing themselves more stress. (FOTOKITA/Shutterstock)
In a nutshell
- Belief in traditional supernatural forces, like the devil, hell, and witchcraft, is linked to higher stress levels and weaker coping skills, according to a large-scale study of over 3,000 UK adults.
- Only these traditional beliefs showed negative mental health impacts, beliefs in psychic abilities or precognition (New Age beliefs) had no significant connection to stress or coping.
- Researchers suggest traditional paranormal beliefs may reflect a fear of external, uncontrollable forces, potentially leading to avoidant coping styles that worsen stress rather than relieve it.
MANCHESTER, England — Believing in supernatural forces might be messing with your mental health. A new study suggests that folks who believe in traditional spooky stuff like the devil and witchcraft tend to feel more stressed out and less able to cope with life’s curveballs. Surprisingly, though, if you’re into crystals, psychic powers, or predicting the future, your stress levels probably aren’t affected at all.
The study, published in PLOS ONE, revealed that traditional supernatural beliefs are linked to a feeling that you’re not in control of your own life. They found that people who believe in concepts like hell, witchcraft, and devilish forces tend to see the world as controlled by powers beyond their reach.
Researchers distinguish between two types of paranormal belief. Traditional Paranormal Beliefs (TPB) include concepts like the devil, hell, and witchcraft—essentially supernatural forces operating at a societal level. The second category, New Age Philosophy (NAP), encompasses beliefs in paranormal abilities like mind reading, contacting spirits, and predicting future events—powers that operate on an individual level.
There’s a difference between believing in ghosts or witches versus believing you might be psychic or can sense energies. The first group sees supernatural forces as acting on them, while the second group sees supernatural powers as potentially working through them. And according to this study, that distinction makes all the difference for your mental health.
The researchers surveyed over 3,000 people, with an almost even split between men and women averaging about 50 years old. They had everyone fill out questionnaires about their paranormal beliefs and how stressed they felt, like whether they saw life as unpredictable, overwhelming, or out of their control.
After crunching the numbers, believing in traditional paranormal concepts significantly predicted higher distress and worse coping skills. But believing in new age concepts didn’t seem to affect stress levels at all.
The researchers think this makes sense with the “psychodynamic hypothesis.” This is basically the idea that supernatural beliefs try to give us a sense of control over stuff we can’t really control. But ironically, these beliefs might encourage avoiding problems instead of facing them head-on, which isn’t great for your mental health in the long run.
Traditional paranormal beliefs reflect fear about forces beyond your control. If you think the world works this way, it’s probably harder to feel calm and collected when facing problems.
It’s kind of like blaming everything on fate, destiny, or supernatural powers; while it might feel comforting to think “it’s all part of a bigger plan,” that approach can actually make you more passive when dealing with challenges. Instead of taking action, you might just accept your fate.
This doesn’t mean all supernatural beliefs are bad news. The researchers are careful to point out that these beliefs serve important cultural and psychological purposes. But if your beliefs leave you feeling like a puppet on supernatural strings, your stress levels might be taking a hit.
The findings could actually help therapists working with stressed-out clients who hold strong traditional supernatural beliefs. Maybe they could benefit from approaches that boost their sense of personal control and active problem-solving skills.
Unlike previous studies that lumped all paranormal beliefs together, this research gives us a more sophisticated view of how different supernatural thinking styles relate to mental wellbeing.
So, instead of worrying about bad luck, curses, or devilish influences, remember: those beliefs themselves might be adding to your stress. Sometimes the scariest thing about supernatural forces is how much power we give them over our peace of mind.
Paper Summary
Methodology
The researchers surveyed 3,084 people (about 46% male, 53% female, with a handful identifying as non-binary or not disclosing gender) ranging from 18 to 91 years old, with an average age of 50. All participants were from the UK. They used two main questionnaires: the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale to measure supernatural beliefs, and the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale to assess how stressed people felt. They broke paranormal beliefs into two main categories: Traditional Paranormal Beliefs (devil, hell, witchcraft) and New Age Philosophy (ESP, contacting spirits, predicting the future). They then used fancy statistical methods to see how these belief types related to stress levels.
Results
The analysis showed that Traditional Paranormal Beliefs significantly predicted higher distress levels and worse coping abilities. New Age Philosophy beliefs, however, didn’t show any significant relationship with stress measures. The traditional beliefs explained about 10% of the variation in distress and 4% of the variation in coping ability. This suggests that believing external supernatural forces control existence is linked to worse stress outcomes, while believing in individual-level paranormal abilities doesn’t seem to affect stress one way or another.
Limitations
This study only looked at one point in time, so we can’t tell whether these beliefs cause stress or whether stressed people gravitate toward these beliefs. The researchers only measured stress over a one-month period, while harmful stress usually happens over longer timeframes. Most participants weren’t super strong believers in the paranormal, so results might be different for people with stronger convictions. The study doesn’t account for how strong religious faith might change these relationships. Also, the questionnaire used reflects mostly Western, Christian-influenced views of the supernatural.
Funding and Disclosures
The study was supported by the BIAL Foundation (Grant no. 123/20). The researchers declared no competing interests.
Publication Information
The study, “Re-evaluation of the relationship between paranormal belief and perceived stress using statistical modelling,” was written by Kenneth G. Drinkwater, Andrew Denovan, and Neil Dagnall and published in PLOS ONE on November 13, 2024.
They should be. Some of us wonder if we’re going to hell. They know they are.
It’s the negativity of that particular “religion,” whose adherents are seeking not moral guidance but an affirmation that, “if it feels good, do it.” When I attend Mass I always feel so much better afterwards. It’s like taking a good hot shower after being dirty only I feel it as a cleansing of my soul. It’s truly a high, for me at least.