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MindMover

(5,016 posts)
Wed Dec 19, 2012, 04:32 PM Dec 2012

Psychology Reveals the Comforts of the Apocalypse

December 21, according to much-hyped misreadings of the Mayan calendar, will mark the end of the world. It’s not the first “end is nigh” proclamation—and it’s unlikely to be the last. That’s because, deep down for various reasons, there’s something appealing—at least to some of us—about the end of the world.

Enjoy the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

University of Minnesota neuroscientist Shmuel Lissek, who studies the fear system, believes that at its heart, the concept of doomsday evokes an innate and ancient bias in most mammals. “The initial response to any hint of alarm is fear. This is the architecture with which we’re built,” Lissek says. Over evolutionary history, organisms with a better-safe-than-sorry approach survive. This mechanism has had consequences for both the body and brain, where the fast-acting amygdala can activate a fearful stress response before “higher” cortical areas have a chance to assess the situation and respond more rationally.

But why would anyone enjoy kindling this fearful response? Lissek suspects that some apocalyptic believers find the idea that the end is nigh to be validating. Individuals with a history of traumatic experiences, for example, may be fatalistic. For these people, finding a group of like-minded fatalists is reassuring. There may also be comfort in being able to attribute doom to some larger cosmic order—such as an ancient Mayan prophecy. This kind of mythology removes any sense of individual responsibility.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/12/18/psychology-reveals-the-comforts-of-the-apocalypse/

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NoOneMan

(4,795 posts)
1. Likewise, for some, isn't the notion of the perpetuation of infinite growth comforting?
Wed Dec 19, 2012, 04:38 PM
Dec 2012

We live in a society comforted by the the exploitive nature of our economic system; just because the majority fantasize about the perpetuation of this state does not mean they are not any more deluded. We may be living in a population driven by a variety of opposing psychosis that do not really represent objective reality, but rather an organization of reality that most effectively addresses unique individuals' (system-derived) cognitive dissonance.

MindMover

(5,016 posts)
4. I would agree that humankind has developed a collective cognitive dissonance ...
Wed Dec 19, 2012, 04:51 PM
Dec 2012

it is called CLIMATE CHANGE

 

NoOneMan

(4,795 posts)
5. This pretty much guarantees imminent catastrophe
Wed Dec 19, 2012, 05:13 PM
Dec 2012

And I personally find the notion of quitting now romantic and luring, considering all production I undergo to grow civilization between now and world-wide famine is a waste of time, life and energy. A zombie apocalypse tomorrow would certainly save me heaps of hassle.

All around us is lurking crisis and socio-economic pressure; some people put that jumble in their brain and start looking up Mayan prophecy on the internet. Others put it in there and buy a new iPad, while giggling at the crazy preppers. I think that in general, we all share a little bit of the insanity

MindMover

(5,016 posts)
6. Yes we do share in the CCD (Collective Cognitive Dissonance) ...
Wed Dec 19, 2012, 05:35 PM
Dec 2012

Just as every other human generation from the beginning has done ...

If we were not being surrounded by woolly mammoths and saber toothed tigers and finding enough food and shelter for the day ... which caused immediate individual physical and psychological issues ...

We are now surrounded by these invisible enemies CO2 and CH4 that are causing untold hardships around the world ... which cause gradual collective physical and psychological issues ....

which is why we have CCD ...

ck4829

(34,977 posts)
2. I think another thing about it is that people know their lives are going to end eventually
Wed Dec 19, 2012, 04:40 PM
Dec 2012

It may be a comfort to some thinking that the world will end with them, rather than it continuing on without them.

Berlum

(7,044 posts)
3. No Mayan Daykeepers have ever mentioned anything about a freaking Doomsday
Wed Dec 19, 2012, 04:49 PM
Dec 2012

They talk about the start of the Fifth World in a new calendar, and a Shift of the Ages. Talk about a BS Mayan Calendar Straw man. Ptooooey.

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