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Article: How to influence paranormal beliefs. (Your Life).(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- USA TODAY
- Article date:
- September 1, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Society for the Advancement of Education. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Although they might not be quick to admit it, nine out of 10 American adults believe in some paranormal phenomena, polls have shown. Research from Barry Markovsky, professor of sociology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, demonstrates how people may come to believe in something that seems absurd at face value. He conducted an experiment on the spread of paranormal beliefs that tested "social impact theory," which suggests that behavior and beliefs are strongly affected by the status, proximity, and number of potential influencers. Applied to dubious claims such as astrology, alien abductions, or reincarnation, it shows that belief in such things can be transmitted ...