“Pseudoscience is popular because it confirms what we believe. Science is unpopular because it calls into question what we believe. Good science, like good art, often overturns our established views of the world.” — Carol Tavris, social psychologist
Gwyneth Paltrow’s new Netflix documentary series Goop LabsThe quasi-medical approach of “alternative medicine” will likewise be brought to the mainstream streaming television spotlight when the six-episode series premieres on January 24, 2020. The themes of the show include energy healing, psychedelic drug use, exorcism, cryotherapy, anti-aging, female sexuality, and more generally, Group The brand promotes other similar alternative medical topics, such as past-life therapy, which is an unethical treatment in cases of mental illness. Medical MediumBrands promoting potentially dangerous treatments, such as celery juice for treating addiction.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health defines alternative and complementary medicines (CAM) as medical approaches that are not usually part of conventional medicine. The term “alternative medicine” is preferred when non-mainstream medicines are used in place of conventional medicine, while the term “complementary medicine” is preferred when non-mainstream medicines are used in conjunction with conventional medicine.
Although it has been argued that the practice of alternative medicine is riddled with ethical issues and that its proponents often promote philosophies based on logical fallacies, it is important to understand what exactly causes many people to seek out these forms of treatment.
One obvious and important driver of CAM is the unfortunate reality that current conventional medical treatments do not work for everyone. In fact, conventional medicine works using the scientific method as a mechanism for knowledge acquisition, and there is still a lot of knowledge to be gained. Currently, a variety of treatments with different levels of both evidence and theoretical support fall under the umbrella of CAM. This means that some (but not all) of the current treatments that are not well-studied and considered CAM may one day reach a somewhat arbitrary threshold of being considered within the scope of evidence-based medicine (e.g., psychedelic-based treatments for some mental disorders). But not everyone who could not benefit from conventional medicine uses, benefits from, and ultimately believes in CAM. What other factors are at play?
Research published in Personality and individual differences We provided the first empirical insights into the psychology and appeal of the CAM approach.
In this particular study, a sample of over 3,000 people (mostly university students) were administered self-report questionnaires to assess attitudes towards CAM approaches, individual differences in thinking style (intuitive vs. rational), beliefs in the paranormal, magical beliefs about food and health, and values.The researchers made two main findings.
- A tendency toward intuitive thinking (as opposed to rational thinking) was positively correlated with belief in alternative medicine.
- The strongest predictors of CAM beliefs were belief in the paranormal and belief in magical foods and health.
These results are intriguing. First, they suggest that CAM believers process information differently from non-believers: CAM believers are more likely to rely on an intuitive thinking style — an unconscious, fast, and effortless thinking style that draws on personal experiences, emotions, and concrete images and stories — whereas CAM non-believers are more likely to rely on a rational thinking style that involves conscious reasoning and mental effort, drawing on objective information and a willingness to adjust conclusions in light of new facts.
Second, findings suggest that people who believe in CAM are also more likely to hold paranormal beliefs that defy natural laws (e.g., clairvoyance, telepathy, astrology), magical foods, and health-related beliefs (e.g., that a person’s health can be influenced through mysterious essences such as energy or vibrations from sources such as stones or hands).
How can these findings be useful?
Findings suggest that there are certain psychological variables that can predict belief in and likelihood of using CAM practices. And the researchers make a very astute point: CAM practices are often promoted and sold in ways that appeal to non-rational, intuitive thinking styles, drawing on overly simplistic descriptions of problems and solutions, familiar and concrete concepts, personal experiences, anecdotal evidence, and testimonials.
The findings of this study complement those of Timothy Caulfield, professor of health law and science policy and author of the following book: Is Gwyneth Paltrow doing everything wrong? Professor Caulfield recently called for encouraging critical thinking and harnessing the power of storytelling to win the battle against health-related misinformation. This is important given that many CAM practices are underpinned by potentially harmful pseudoscientific ideas. Appealing to both our rational and intuitive tendencies to correct CAM-related misinformation can therefore help promote health care.
