• Link:: Beliefs have a social purpose. Does this explain delusions? | Psyche Ideas

  • Tags:: Sociology, Negationists, 🗞️Articles

  • Highlights::

    • Very few of us hold beliefs based on a scientific analysis of information.

    • For example, in the COVID-19 pandemic, the belief that social distancing reduces the spread of the virus has served an essential social function. It has enabled one of the largest-scale cooperative acts humans have ever performed, coordinating the behaviour of disparate groups to tackle the virus.

    • Of course, just because a delusion has logical roots doesn’t mean it’s helpful for the person once it takes hold.

    • The coalitional model underlines that beliefs arising from adaptive cognitive processes should show some sensitivity to social context and enable successful social coordination. Delusions lack this social function and adaptability.