How deluded are you? (If you're religious, you'll score higher.)

The most recent issue of New Scientist has a story called "Delusional You." The online version is differently titled: Grand delusions: Why we all believe the weirdest things.

Now, most of us consider that it is other people who are deluded, and that we're an exception, being nicely connected to reality. Which, I suppose, is another delusion. Here's an excerpt from the story.

That we are all prone to delusions may not be so surprising. A range of cognitive biases makes the human mind fertile soil for growing all kinds of irrational beliefs. Confirmation bias, for example, means we ignore inconvenient facts that go against our beliefs and uncritically accept anything that supports them. Desirability bias leaves us prone to shoring up beliefs we have a vested interest in maintaining because they make us or our group look good. Clustering bias refers to our tendency to see phantom patterns in random events, impairing our ability to draw logical conclusions from the available evidence.

The New Scientist story includes the Peters Delusion Inventory, "which is the most widely used measure of delusional proneness."

I was pleased to find that I scored in the low range, having answered "yes" to only two of the 21 questions. And one of them seemed problematic to me, Do you ever feel as if some people are not what they seem to be? Yeah, I feel this often, particularly when I'm around politicians. This can be reality, not delusion.

Anyway, below is the Peters Delusion Inventory. I couldn't resist putting four decidedly religious'y questions in red, and three more spiritual/New Age'y questions in purple. This shows that religiosity, or more generally, belief in special powers, makes it more likely that someone will be delusional.

This is somewhat at odds with how the story says we should look upon delusions. 

First we need to be clear about what a delusion is. "There's a loose way of talking about delusions -- like when we talk about the 'God delusion' --“ which simply means any belief that's likely to be false and is held despite lack of evidence, or even in spite of the evidence," says Lisa Bortolotti at the University of Birmingham, UK. The psychological take is more nuanced.

Delusions are still seen as irrational, but they are also idiosyncratic, meaning the belief is not widely shared. That rules out lots of things including most religious beliefs, conspiracy theories and the denial of climate change. Furthermore, the idiosyncratic nature of delusions makes them isolating and alienating in a way that believing, say, a conspiracy theory is not. Delusions also tend to be much more personal than other irrational beliefs, and they usually conform to one of a handful of themes.

Hmmmm. The way I see it, just because a delusion is widely shared doesn't make it less of a delusion. Consider the four religious'y questions in red below. 

Lots of true believers do feel they are especially close to God, have been chosen by God in some way, believe in the occult, and sometimes feel they have sinned more than the average person. These aren't idiosyncratic beliefs; they rest at the heart of some major religions and mystical paths.

And the questions in purple are widely held by those who follow certain meditation practices.

In the thirteen years since I started this Church of the Churchless blog, I've seen many comments from people who believe in telepathic communication, consider that it is possible to completely stop thinking, and view thoughts as alien to the supposedly pristine "soul consciousness" that is separate from the mind.

Now, feel free to take the delusion test.

How Deluded Are You?

Almost everyone is vulnerable to delusions, but some of us more than others. These 21 questions constitute the Peters Delusion Inventory, which is the most widely used measure of delusion proneness. Give yourself one point for each “yes” and zero points for each “no”, then tot up your score.

1 Do you ever feel as if people seem to drop hints about you or say things with a double meaning?

2 Do you ever feel as if things in magazines or on TV were written especially for you?

3 Do you ever feel as if some people are not what they seem to be?

4 Do you ever feel as if you are being persecuted in some way?

5 Do you ever feel as if there is a conspiracy against you?

6 Do you ever feel as if you are, or destined to be someone very important?

7 Do you ever feel that you are a very special or unusual person?

8 Do you ever feel that you are especially close to God?

9 Do you ever think people can communicate telepathically?

10 Do you ever feel as if electrical devices such as computers can influence the way you think?

11 Do you ever feel as if you have been chosen by God in some way?

12 Do you believe in the power of witchcraft, voodoo or the occult?

13 Are you often worried that your partner may be unfaithful?

14 Do you ever feel that you have sinned more than the average person?

15 Do you ever feel that people look at you oddly because of your appearance?

16 Do you ever feel as if you had no thoughts in your head at all?

17 Do you ever feel as if the world is about to end?

18 Do your thoughts ever feel alien to you in some way?

19 Have your thoughts ever been so vivid that you were worried other people would hear them?

20 Do you ever feel as if your own thoughts were being echoed back to you?

21 Do you ever feel as if you are a robot or zombie without a will of your own?

0-5 You are less prone to delusions than most. Your thinking style is probably more analytical than intuitive.
6-7 Congratulations! You are normal. The average score is 6.7, with no difference between men and women.
8-21 You are more prone to delusions than most. You are likely to think intuitively and jump to conclusions.

         Schizophrenia Bulletin

Comments

[Appreciative Reader]

2.5 / 21

The 0.5 comes off #1. I was thrown by the "ever" in that question. Only a delusional (or amazingly dense) person would believe they've never EVER have have been "dropped hints at" or "spoken to or about with double meanings". So, damned if you do, damned if you don't. I grant me a 0.5 on that, rather than a full-on 3.

So anyway, that lands me with a 2.5 score. Apparently, then, I'm "less prone to delusions than most". Yay to that!

Although I suppose literally believing that, and literally celebrating, would itself fall firmly in delusion land. I have no doubt I have my fair share of delusions, that I'm not aware of. Still, I do try to weed out what I can, when I can. Perhaps that's the best we can hope for?

[vinny]

Wake up guys from the trap of intellectuals , yogic paths & sant-mat are not delusions . They are objectively validating methods of control over sense-organs , sexual organs & carnal desires .
I can objectively prove that thoughts stop :
1) While watching movie thoughts stop
2) While watching interesting contest , thoughts stop
3) While listening to music thoughts stop
4) While looking at interesting photograph thoughts stop

Similarly , when Ruh becomes stronger than Nafs / Mind , thoughts can be stopped at will.
Most of these armchair intellectuals are dishonest practitioners of Sant-mat & yogic science.
They prioritized Women , Carnal desires over self-control . Now at the fag end of life they are discrediting Spiritual systems.

[manjit]

22 Do you feel the above juvenile, sophomoric, absurd & astonishingly ignorant questions do, indeed, indicate in any remotely meaningful or accurate way, whatsoever, "how deluded you are"?

If so, congratulations, you've hit the delusional jackpot! (no tally of previous answers required, move straight to deluded!)

I mean, honestly, how is anyone other than wet-behind-the-ears young ideological kids reading & finding the above silly questions as anything other than childish nonsense, completely pretentious garbage etc?

For a start, it is entirely obvious this entire "test" is really a statement of ideology (completely unexamined, of course) and a covert criticism of a straw-man deemed to be an opponent of that ideology (except question 21, which ironically (and almost certainly unintentionally too, as it is clear no real thought or knowledge has been put into these cliched questions) is really a criticism of today's "trendy" materialists & atheists if one understands it. (as an aside, I don't actually believe it IS trendy anymore, I think the new generation is seeing past the absurdities, incoherencies, misplaced arrogance & downright lies of materialism & the atheist intelligentsia of the 90s and noughties) .

In example of this, it is perhaps not so "delusional" to think things on TV were written especially for you, that you are being persecuted, that you're special or important, if your partner may be unfaithful, people look oddly at you because of your appearance etc if these things ARE actually happening to you. Now, it is true that Donald Trump may be delusional, but I don't think he would be merely based on his thinking things on TV have been written especially for him, or that he's "important" etc.

How complete ridiculous this "test" is - it assumes none of these things ever happen in reality, when they occur so frequently it's not even really a question of "delusion" at all. Just childish & immature nonsense.

Honestly, I think you would have to be clinically deluded, or a person who has lived an exceptionally....exceptionally.....boring and dull life to have scored less than 14 on this "test"!! (remember, the question all say "ever", implying to answer no means NEVER). I genuinely feel for anyone honestly (which would exclude answering "no" but delusionally so!) answering these questions and gets less than 14!!

But let's address some of the more debatable specifics (many of these should be answered "yes" by all, yet those would just be everyday, mundane things that happen to everyone at one time or another in their life, despite the author of this pathetic "test" apparently forgetting that in their zeal to make an ideological, intelligent-sounding but entirely vacuous statement):

8 Do you ever feel that you are especially close to God?

A: I am not sure about the "especially" bit? Is the author suggesting we are all EQUALLY "close to God", or are they implying there is no "God" at all, therefore any sense of "closeness" is "delusional"?

Of course, this entire "test" is vague, ambiguous and horrifically undefined. It is laughably absurd, and imo embarrassing, to suggest this is a valid psychological test of any sort, or indeed anything other than a mindless meme for trendy materialists and other assorted "rational" people to salivate over.

Re. "God", I can only leave to each person's individual intelligence & wisdom to discern if the author of this "test" is any position whatsoever to make any judgement or evaluation about the existence, or not, of such a "being", and the qualities, characteristics & mechanics of such a being as "God", should it exist. I find it incomprehensible anyone could take it as anything other than somebody commenting on something they have absolutely no idea about, but each to their own.

9 Do you ever think people can communicate telepathically?

Well, where to take this immature question?

First fact, science has, currently, absolutely no idea whatsoever how "communication" really takes place. Intelligent and astute readers will make the obvious connection - when science is absolutely clueless about consciousness itself, how can it grasp what "meaning" is, and how it is "communicated"? There is absolutely no rational explanation of how sounds and signs convey meaning from conscious being to another. Therefore, by implication, it is absurd to a priori dismiss the, here poorly defined, concept of "telepathy". This may sound like nonsense to uninformed readers, but this is actually well known & established philosophy, the deepest there is or can be around language, semiotics etc.

Secondly, as another approach to this inane question, there is more definite scientific "proof" (statistically) for the reality of "telepathy" than there is for much (if not most) of the current cosmological theories & medicines etc most people glibly accept. That evidence is not only ignored, it is, as it is here, pretended that it doesn't even exist, whereas in factual reality, it does. This is ideology 101. Please note. If one is interested, the evidence for a whole host of so-called "para-normal" phenomena is easily found. It is vast & copious. Even die-hard materialists & sceptics (who have actually bothered to delve into such) have admitted as much. That this isn't well known and the outright lie that there is no scientific basis for these things is a profoundly revealing thing about what kind of a "delusional" religious age we are currently in; that of materialism.

Finally - there are thousands of years of anecdotes about instances of "telepathy". It may well be extremely delusional to dismiss ALL of these as "delusional".

I will state without doubt I have experienced profound instances of "telepathy"....with strangers in contexts and involving thoughts that it would be utterly ridiculous and absurd to suggest that it was either mere chance or a delusion.

Actually, is it "telepathy" or something else? Perhaps retro-cognition masquerading as telepathy? Ahh, but these are questions way, way too deep (and the implications even deeper :) for those involved in such ignorant and childish perspectives of reality as those hinted at in this "test". Perhaps read this blog, from day one to the current to get some real mind-bending (and indeed, with a materialist basis some would say) perspectives on some of these phenomena:

http://thenightshirt.com/

10 Do you ever feel as if electrical devices such as computers can influence the way you think?

Huh? What? How idiotic are these questions? A funny meme, I can accept, but a "test" for psychological profiling? Seriously?

Of COURSE computers are influencing the way we think!! Hello!? (I mean, literally as well as in the obvious sense.....there has been some scientific evidence to suggest our usage of computers are literally changing the ways our brains function. Nowhere near as much evidence as there is for "telepathy", of course, but enough for it to have become unquestioned viral news amongst trendy materialist circles.)

It almost seems to me the author of this "test" is saying we're all delusional, whatever we know or think.

In THAT case, I'm with them!!

11 Do you ever feel as if you have been chosen by God in some way?

Another "God" question? The author of this article sure seems to know about the mechanics of "God"! I mean, to be able to discern if a specific belief about God's ways is delusional or not?

Or are they simply implying ANY belief about a "God" is delusional? How many questions does the author need to ask about this "God" before they satiate their desire to make this point? Perhaps just say "2 delusional points if you answer this question as yes" to the first question about "God"? Or, perhaps just come out and say it "do you believe in a "God" of some sort"? Delusional! Why? Because I KNOW there is no God......

Yes, delusion in humans is quite prevalent.

12 Do you believe in the power of witchcraft, voodoo or the occult?

Much like the above questions about God, this is another question about something you can bet your bottom dollar the author knows absolutely nothing whatsoever about on any level whatsoever. Complete and utter ignorance masquerading as knowledge about the mechanics of reality & the universe.

How anyone can take this "test" at all seriously is beyond me. Preaching to the choir (of materialists), now THAT make perfect sense.

[Spencer Tepper]

I scored a 1, close to God.
Yippee, this proves I'm OK!

Thank you Brian for this nearly almighty and objective judgment.

[Spencer Tepper]

OK, thoughts about the questions.
Nearly all of them are about other people or their intentions or thoughts about us.

Spiritual meditators dismiss all those. In fact that is the practice.

Even "God's intention for us". This moment is that.

[Spencer Tepper]

10 Do you ever feel as if electrical devices such as computers can influence the way you think?

Spiritual meditators know that a whole lot of stuff influences our thoughts, because they observe their thoughts intently. We are scientists carefully observing our own thoughts.

The vast vast majority of causes turns out to be our own attitude, our recent impressions and experiences, our history and choice of what we pick to think about. And what we ate, our health, our biology and genetics, environment... Etc...

If only it were electrical equipment we could just switch that off. Sadly, it's a little broader than that.

[Jen]

1 Do you ever feel as if people seem to drop hints about you or say things with a double meaning?
Yes, some people do use doublespeak.

3 Do you ever feel as if some people are not what they seem to be?
Yes, people can be superficially fake.

9 Do you ever think people can communicate telepathically?
Yes, some people can, I've experienced it, strange and interesting!

Only yes to three question: "0-5 You are less prone to delusions than most. Your thinking style is probably more analytical than intuitive."

I like this: "thinking style is probably more analytical than intuitive". Although I like to think that I am both analytical and intuitive :)

Thanks Brian, I enjoyed this, no need to take it too seriously!

[Jim Sutherland]

There should be another Question.

“Do you spend hours reading every post on Brian Hine’s Blogs, as a silent Voyeur, with out ever agreeing, or supporting any thing the few posters that contribute some thing that you agree with, or when you are being pissed off , because of what I and others post?”

Answer is,...If you are one of the silent Voyeurs, you are a Parasite.

You know who you are.

At least, Ken appears out of the shadows to say I, Little Ole me, with wrinkled face and shriveled Cajuns, is the most “Vitriolic poster on the Internet!” What an honor!!

And of course, the Anonomous “ Me Too” Voyeurs appear when the full Moon comes out or when Manjit comes out of his hole to teach us the Philosophies of life, and how to find what he has and no one else could possible ever find, because he found the Secrets from OSHO Robbins long ago, when Osho taught him that he didn’t exist, so no use wasting time trying to be the one we all are right now.

Where are all the Parasites? What Bait does some one need to throw out to get you to contribute?

Actually, Brian Hines has done a good job, unwrapping Gurinder Singh Dhillon, with a little help from his friends.

Where are all of Gurinder’s friends?

They are mostly Voyeur Parisites, other than 777 and One Initiated.

Cheers,
Jim

[Dungeness]

Do you ever feel that you are especially close to God?

I think a subtler approach to ferreting out the religious-y minded is needed. A mystic's joke I heard recently should do nicely:

Atheist is hiking through the woods. Bear begins chasing him... He gets a whiff of hungry breath bear breath closing in. Atheist cries out: "Lord, help me!" Booming voice: "You want MY help". Atheist: "I know, I know, Lord, it's too late for me. But, but... could you just make the bear religious?" Booming voice: "Done!" Just then the bear knocks him down and prepares to nosh. But suddenly, he shuts his jaw demurely, folds his paws and looks heavenward.. and lo, it's a miracle, the bear prays: "Lord, for this meal I'm about to receive, I thank you!".

Now, laughing involuntarily at this, is a "yes" for as we all know, there are no atheists in the foxholes.

[One Initiated]

@jim,

One day, even the parasites will be freed,
they might take a little longer but whenever the time is apt for them,
maybe rather quickly then we can think of, if that is their last birth.

I am sure that for everyone on this forum,
and everyone who in one or the other way linked with SantMat,
death is going to be awesome this time.

Wish you all a great, loving and an ultra relaxing death,
at the end of this awesome yet tiring life.

Radha Soami Ji.

[L]

I wonder who are people who call other human being a parasite.
What a painful war is in the mind of people calling others parasite.

[Trenton Rothan]

Hello,
I learned some interesting points from this quiz, although it is not perfect.
The best questions were "do you believe you are destined to be someone very important" or "someone especially close to god". I can see that these delusions can arise as a consequence of selfishness, thinking we must be better than others.
Some questions did not seem fair. For example, do I think electric devices influence the way I think? Obviously the answer is yes because I am thinking about these questions as a result of reading them on my electrical device. Secondly, a radio can make a song get stuck in my head thereby influencing my thoughts.
A vague question is so I think I am a zombie without a will of my own? I am not a zombie, but some argue that the universe is predetermined in which case thinking I have free will could be a delusion, but I do not really know who is right.
Another question seems to make too many assumptions about when we experience thoughts. Meditation is one way to calm the mind which makes me feel like I'm not having thoughts at least for brief moments, but there is also a paradigm that says everything is a thought.
Another good question is have I sinned more than the average person. A consequence of selfishness could be that I attached more significance to my thoughts than most people do. The fear that I could act on them made me feel as though I sinned a lot, but I never act on any crazy impulses.
One of my challenges is that we define delusions as irrational beliefs, but this would be relative to the rationalist paradigm which is sometimes wrong in spite of having a reasonable conclusion. For example, a premise could be missing or false leading to false beliefs and delusions. Logic can also be skewed in favor of one interest group, resulting in a partial argument that persuaded us it is the truth, but is ultimately false because it's partial. Relativism is also ultimately false, but that does not relate to this quiz as much.
Finally, I recognize that belief is temporary, but useful. By having enough faith that an outcome will eventually occur, it makes it more likely because of how the mind is being used. In this case, I researched spiritual practices people might use to experience god. One of the requirements is that you have enough faith that the practices will help you raise your consciousness so that you can experience God as a phenomenon because of you believe you will fail, it increases the likelihood that you will like test anxiety as an easy example. This method seeks to eventually have God as something beside dogma and ideology, and although faith is necessary, I do not actually know which people are deluded and not because everyone thinks there not deluded as a consequence of delusion. It could be the people who told me all of this which is why I should try to verify it for myself.
Interesting quiz