Historically, skeptics of conspiracy theories, the non-natural, and cryptids have been viewed as smarter than their believer cohorts. While this view has been debunked, it has some basis in truth. There is a correlation between mathematical/scientific education and the ability to discern between actual patterns and random “noise” within data. This is likely due to the fact that the general public have a “difficulty understanding statistical probability (Lewis, What Is the Allure of the Paranormal in Our Scientific Age?, 2019).” Furthermore, mathematical and scientific education help prevent against the conjunction fallacy. The conjunction fallacy is the incorrect belief that several specific conditions are more likely than a single general condition. The scenario below is an example of the conjunction fallacy.
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Correlation vs Causation is the scientific way of distinguishing between meaningful relationships and statistical noise. This video helps to explain this difference.
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Even so, mathematical and scientific training does not make one infallible to believing in the scientifically unexplained, or even cognitive tendencies generally associated with believers. Under the Behavioral Aspect section of The Believer’s Toolbox, the correlation between schizotypy and magical ideation is discussed. In reality, several notable mathematicians and scientists fell prey to the former category. Films have been made of such individuals, who established principles in cryptography, physics, and game theory. Yet, with all of their mathematical knowledge, these individuals fell prey to believing what their minds created.
On the right are two films made of these mathematicians. While A Beautiful Mind portrays the life of John Nash, a schizophrenic mathematician who developed game theory, The Imitation Game focuses on WWII hero and autistic mathematician, Alan Turing, who made significant progress in mathematical cryptography by solving the German's Enigma code.
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Russel Crowe plays mathematician with schizophrenia, John Nash, in A Beautiful Mind
Benedict Cumberbatch plays mathematician with autism, Alan Turing, in The Imitation Game
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Not only do skeptics differ from believers in cognitive style, but research has also shown that skeptics have greater mental inhibition than believers. This means that skeptics are better at casting away unwanted ideas than most believers. For example, while a believer might think they see the Loch Ness Monster in a floating log in the lake, a skeptic would be able to put this thought aside while they found a more plausible explanation for the shape in the water.
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