title: Modern health worries - the dark side of spirituality?
abstract: Modern health worries (MHWs) are widespread in modern societies. MHWs were connected to both negative and positive psychological characteristics in previous studies. The study aimed to investigate the relationships among intuitive-experiential information processing style, spirituality, MHWs, and psychological well-being. Members of the Hungarian Skeptic Society (N = 128), individuals committed to astrology (N = 601), and people from a non-representative community sample (N = 554) completed questionnaires assessing intuitive-experiential information processing style, spirituality, modern health worries (MHWs), and psychological well-being. Astrologers showed higher levels of spirituality, intuitive-experiential thinking, and modern health worries than individuals from the community sample; and skeptics scored even lower than the latter group with respect to all three constructs. Within the community sample, medium level connections between measures of spirituality and the experiential thinking style, and weak to medium level correlations between spirituality and MHWs were found. The connection between MHWs and experiential thinking style was completely mediated by spirituality. Individuals with higher levels of spirituality are particularly vulnerable to overgeneralized messages on health related risks. Official communication of potential risks based on rational scientific reasoning is not appropriate to persuade them as it has no impact on the intuitive-experiential system.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Promotion and Sport Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Ferenc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Köteles
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Sciences, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary.|Nyírő Gyula Hospital National Institute of Psychiatry and Addictions, Hungary.
authors.forename: Péter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simor
authors.affiliation: Synetiq Kft, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Márton
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Czető
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary.
authors.forename: Noémi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sárog
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Promotion and Sport Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Renáta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Szemerszky
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001255:Astrology / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D029181:Spirituality; D013850:Thinking; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Spirituality; intuitive-experiential system; modern health worries