Reddit mentions: The best experimental psychology books

God is real, the Bible is real, Jesus is real, the Holy Spirit is real, salvation is real. Some are blessed with amazing experiences that convict them of this and are never shaken. Some can see this truth in other Christians around them and accept it without deeply questioning it or understanding. Some need to touch the wounds in Jesus' flesh.

It's not wrong to ask God to reveal himself. It's not wrong to ask him to cure your doubts. It's not wrong to question the things other Christians are saying if they go against your personal understanding and relationship of God. The important thing is you don't try to do these things behind his back. Lift them up to him in prayer.

Are you aware of the Marsh Chapel Experiment? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsh_Chapel_Experiment)
A good read with some information on it is The Harvard Psychedelic Club (https://www.amazon.com/Harvard-Psychedelic-Club-Timothy-Fifties/dp/0061655945)
Another great read for you is: Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0175P7PP0).

Another writer/researcher/professor/Christian who might interest you is Amos Yong. He writes about how much Christians can learn from other faiths and their practices and how they fit within a broader scheme of Pentecostal theology. All of his books are interesting reads (though fairly dense).

I think the reason we might assume libido to increase is because we intuitively accept the idea that our behavior is controlled by basic drives (hunger, sex, etc) and that we work to return these levels to some kind of homeostasis. This is essentially what the psychoanalysts argued with their "steam engine" theory of anger (also known as 'catharsis theory'), in that you have to "let off steam" sometimes so that you don't take it out on other people and so you can get it under control.

Turns out, these ideas of behavior aren't very accurate. Drive theory turned out to be a very poor explanation for behavior, and it reached the point where to explain behavior, we had to keep creating new "drives" like "money drives" and "exercise drives" etc. It became unscientific, unparsimonious, and was dropped from science (a good discussion can be found in Mazur's "Learning and Behavior"). This isn't to say that there aren't foundational or basic biological elements which influence, direct, or control certain behaviors, but just that thinking of them in terms of "drives" or us trying to "satisfying urges" doesn't explain behavior very well.

Whilst it may make sense to us on an everyday level to believe that "venting" can relieve an urge to do something, the actual fact is that the opposite occurs. What happens is that standard behavioral laws still apply to our behavior; that is, if the consequence of an action is pleasurable, then we are more likely to repeat it (operant conditioning). So instead of relieving our urges, we actually start to strengthen these associations and make them more likely to occur again in the future. This means that if we're angry and we go beat up a punching bag for 30 minutes, our anger will increase and we will be more likely to snap at people.

The same principle applies to all behaviors, and so it should apply in the case of abstaining from sexual gratification. When you abstain, you are not only reversing the effects of habituation on sensitivity, but you're also putting yourself through a kind of "extinction procedure" where you are decreasing a behavior (in this case the "urge" or "libido") by removing the positive reinforcement that comes along with it.

And then there's the fact that you're breaking a number of behavioral chains and sequences by abstaining - so previously turning on your computer late at night might have led to a certain activity, now all it signifies is that you're browsing reddit or ebay or something. These cues that trigger behaviors are discriminative stimuli, and just like people who try to quit smoking but find it more difficult to resist when they're drinking (because they used to do the two together), you can get the same thing with activities like masturbation. Changing your behaviors can break these behavioral chains, which in part account for the associated feelings of arousal and our libido.

tl;dr: Basic behavioral mechanisms can account (at least in part) for the phenomenon you described - operant conditioning, habituation, extinction, etc.

I think the most important question for you to answer right now is to find your area of interest since neuroscience is an incredibly vast field. For example, are you interested in research with clinical impact like Alzheimer or Epilepsy or normal brain physiology? Are you more interested in behavioral aspect of mind or do you prefer more rigorous disciplines like computational neuroscience? [This] (http://www.amazon.com/Cognition-Brain-Consciousness-Second-Edition/dp/0123750709) book might be quite helpful because it covers various subjects and methodologies in cognitive neuroscience. Best of luck to you !

Well, in TM-theory, the ultimate state of meditation is called "pure consciousness," considered to be the deepest state of rest possible for an alert brain. Researchers have been publishing studies of the EEG patterns and whatnot of people in this state for the past 30 years. The state even gets token mention in at least one introductory textbook on neuroscience , though the citations are all wrong, since this state has never, to my knowledge, been reported in Benson's Relaxation Response, and the figure found on page 299 is actually from a study on TM (see figure on page 143).

Here's a very striking illustration of the kind of EEG found during the pure consciousness state, although the global sine wave pattern marked by the vertical line may merely be an artifact due to volume conductance (higher frequency EEG has been filtered out in order to emphasize that sine wave). Assuming it isn't, my own bet is that it is a striking example of a thalamocortical oscillator involving the entire cortex, rather than a cortical standing wave. Who knows, it might even be evidence of an "infraslow" oscillator.


.

All of this is prelude to a discussion of "enlightenment" as a physiological state, that being the condition wherein "devas" are allegedly perceived.

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The first state of enlightenment in TM theory, arises over a period of years of alternating TM with normal activity, leading to a situation where EEG and other physiological conditions associated with the pure consciousness state, start to co-exist with normal waking, dreaming and sleeping activity. Eventually, the presence of pure consciousness elements outside of meditation becomes so strong, that people start to note a non-participatory, inner-watchfulness. As this perception grows, people naturally associate this with their "self," since that is how people describe their "self" anyway: typically, the most constant aspect(s) of their mental landscape -their thoughts, desires, etc. Spiritual traditions like yoga sometimes call this the "true self" or "Self".

Some very long-term meditators report that this "Self" aspect becomes a constant thoughout all normal activity and states of consciousness: in some sense, their "Self" is present, even during deep sleep or dreaming. Studies have been published on the EEG and psychological profiles of such people, who are considered to be in the beginning stages of the first of several higher states of consciousness collectively called "enlightenment" in TM theory.

"Higher" states of consciousness, based on new dimensions of development (not mystical dimensions, just the typical mathematical term used to described orthogonal measurements), are said to exist, but no research has been published on them. "Deva" perception is allegedly found in these higher states, which are thought to be based on further integration of the pure consciousness pattern beyond what is seen in the first state.

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There are two main higher states, "god consciousness," allegedly driven by emotional growth, where, analogous to the experience of meditation, more and more subtle aspects of perception and thought become apparent, eventually leading to the perception of god and lesser entities (devas), and Unity Consciousness, driven by further intellectual development, where all mental/emotional/perceptual activity is perceived as fluctuations of pure consciousness (since one already identifies "Self" as pure consciousness, perceiving that all things are fluctuations of/composed of pure consciousness leads to the appreciation that "all is Self," hence the term "Unity"). In theory, it should be possible to measure the physiological correlates of such states...

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...whether or not these higher states have any practical value, is another question entirely, of course.

.

The point of all this being that just because mystical terminology is being used, doesn't mean that scientific investigation can't be performed.

The Story of Psychology by Morton Hunt perfectly covers history of psychology from Ancient Greeks to German Psychophysicists to Behaviorism to Cognitive Psychology. It's some 600 pages, but very entertaining, easy to read and accurate at the same time.
The Other Side of Psychology by Denise Cummins gives a nice overview of cognitive psychology - memory, learning, emotion etc., plus famous experiments such as those of Milgram. Very interesting read.

I'd suggest you read Dr. Pepperberg's books on her work with Alex (and other African Greys). The Alex Studies is a summary of her scholarly work and is written for an audience already versed in ethology and animal cognition. Alex and Me covers a lot of the same material, but is definitely written for people with a less scientific interest in the subject.

Alex was certainly a fascinating bird, and even if he was an anomaly among species he opened a window in to the potential that these creatures have.

Fakta om IQ, eller g (generell intelligensfaktor)

• Hög ärftlighet (r = 0.5-0.8)
  
• Korrelerar med hjärn- och skallstorlek (r = 0.2-0.4 beroende på mätmetod)
  
• Har prediktiv validitet (skolbetyg, lön, utbildning, arbetseffektivitet, succesivt bättre förmåga att lösa kognitiva problem för varje percentil etc.)
  
• Hög reliabilitet (r > 0.9) för återtest av samma individ senare i livet
  
• Validitet och reliabilitet är densamma för samtliga folkslag.
  
• Svarta i USA erhåller i genomsnitt en standardavvikelse (1 σ) lägre resultat än vita européer som i sin tur erhåller ungefär en halv standardavikelse lägre resultat än östasiater.
  
  Detta är konsensus i forskningen. Även forskare som exempelvis Richard Nisbett eller James Flynn, som tror att gruppskillnaderna är helt och hållet miljömässiga instämmer i det som skrivs ovan. Ingen insatt i forskningen tror på det typiska "IQ mäter ingenting", "IQ gynnar västerlänningar", "IQ mäter en minimal del av intelligens". Sådana påståenden visar att man ej läst litteraturen, exempelvis Nisbett, Murray och Herrnstein eller Mackintosh.
  
  Huruvida intelligensskillnaderna mellan grupperna (svarta-vita-asiater) beror på arv, miljö eller en kombination är mer spekulativt och här får man bilda sig en egen uppfattning genom att tillgodogöra sig argumenten från båda sidor. Här (kort och lättläst) är en bra sammanfattning av argument för och emot en ärftlig komponent till gruppskillnaderna skriven av Rushton & Jensen som tror på en 50-50-modell (observera att ingen tror på en 100% ärftlig modell, striden står mellan de som tror på 100% miljö mot de som tror på ungefär 50% miljö/50% arv).
  
  Data att fundera över (diagram):
  
  
• Minnesota Transracial Adoption Study
  
  
• Koreanska och icke-koreanska adoptivbarn mot infödd befolkning i Sverige
  
  
• Amerikanska högskoleprovet SAT, efter inkomst och ras
  
  
• Piffer (2015):
  
  > Published Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS), reporting the presence of alleles exhibiting significant and replicable associations with IQ, are reviewed. The average between-population frequency (polygenic score) of nine alleles positively and significantly associated with intelligence is strongly correlated to country-level IQ (r = .91). Factor analysis of allele frequencies furthermore identified a metagene with a similar correlation to country IQ (r = .86). The majority of the alleles (seven out of nine) loaded positively on this metagene. Allele frequencies varied by continent in a way that corresponds with observed population differences in average phenotypic intelligence. Average allele frequencies for intelligence GWAS hits exhibited higher inter-population variability than random SNPs matched to the GWAS hits or GWAS hits for height. This indicates stronger directional polygenic selection for intelligence relative to height. Random sets of SNPs and Fst distances were employed to deal with the issue of autocorrelation due to population structure. GWAS hits were much stronger predictors of IQ than random SNPs. Regressing IQ on Fst distances did not significantly alter the results nonetheless it demonstrated that, whilst population structure due to genetic drift and migrations is indeed related to IQ differences between populations, the GWAS hit frequencies are independent predictors of aggregate IQ differences.

Because hypnosis is fun and can be used to do more things than stage shows, and because scopolamine has to be administered in very small doses, and could kill if the dose would be just a little bit higher. Also, imagine the logistics of beeing an hypnotist and having to buy an ilegal drug for 30 years to give your shows when you could just learn hypnosis.


You got great responses, and I don´t have much to add. But yes, it is all true and when you study hypnosis you see those things all the time. It´s pretty easy to make peole fell cold, heat and even have an orgasm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p9wYVXLbTY

See just how fast is to hypnotize someone in the streets:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LHuKqEwh-8

You can hypnotise someone without trance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B2hxw7LVhI

You can say that what you saw was more intense and all, but bear in mind that people who go on a stage want to have those things happen to them, so they are more compliant.

If you want to know more about hypnosis, there is a great book on hypnosis history writen by an historian who isn´t a hypnotist, so, he has no reason to lie and also has his reputation as a published historian to maintain.

https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Depths-Hypnosis-Robin-Waterfield-ebook/dp/B005E8A8FU/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&me=

If you're into Social Psych:

The Lucifier Effect - Philip Zimbardo

Zimbardo decided to write an update on conclusions of the Stanford Prison Experiment in the wake of the Abu Graib scandal.

Politics and Psychoanalysis:

Leaders and Their Followers in a Dangerous World: The Psychology of Political Behavior (Psychoanalysis and Social Theory) - Jerrold M Post

The Mind of the Terrorist: The Psychology of Terrorism from the IRA to al-Qaeda - Jerrold M. Post

Not really a psychoanalysis guy myself but they may be worth a read if you are into geopolitics as well as Psych.

General Psych:

Opening Skinner's Box: Great Psychological Experiments of the Twentieth Century - Lauren Slater

This one may border on the pop side, I'd call it easy reading. It's a narrative that discusses many of the more famous Psych experiments of the 20th century. Definitely a good summer read, Pop or not highly recommended.

> What do most people today have in mind when they say that they want their partner to be "faithful"?

Bit of a silly question. One usually doesn't demand a partner be faithful with no other factors. It's a mutual exchange of trust between partners agreeing to be faithful to each other. But the doll here represents a desire to control another person without their consent.

I don't think it's "horrible", it's just typical desperation from lonely people. The modern equivalent is the self-help section in the book store, "How to make him fall in love with you." #1 #2 #3 #4 [on and on]

Of course, we still have "magick"-based superstition...

I own more than I have read, but since I graduated I've been collecting and reading some volumes.

Here are links to a few on Amazon that I've particularly appreciated, in the order that I've liked them. The reviews speak for themselves.

http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Cognition-Mental-Lives-Animals/dp/0333923960/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1291930685&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Lives-Animals-Scientist-Explores/dp/1577316290/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291930685&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Canine-Body-Language-Photographic-Interpreting/dp/1929242352/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1291930891&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Dog-Understanding-Emotion-Friend/dp/0345477154/ref=pd_sim_b_6

Not on psychology, but a couple I found informative;

http://www.amazon.com/Bestiality-Zoophilia-Relations-Animals-Anthrozoos/dp/1847883540/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291930813&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Dearest-Pet-Bestiality-Midas-Dekkers/dp/1859843107/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291930813&sr=8-2

Read another book once and a while.

Try Mathew Alpert God Part of the Brain only $25!

That little rosy feeling you get when you think of god is a chemical reaction on your brain. You can force it to happen anytime you like.

There have been ~3000 gods worshipped by humans. I only believe in one less than you do. You are almost there!! You can make it. I have faith in you!

Author Lauren Slater, in her book "Opening Skinner's Box: Great Psychology Experiments of the Twentieth Century," writes about her experience trying to 'replicate' Rosenhan's experiment (i.e., pretends to have schizophrenic symptoms, gets admitted to a hospital).

Definitely worth the read if you're interested in this experiment!

Actually I made it VERY CLEAR I was talking about a specific kind of atheism, and not atheism in general.

>Of course with such a touchy subject people are bound to claim this is an attack on ALL atheism, but the simple fact of the matter is many atheists are intelligent, respectful, and honest.

And yes, life fields were verified by dozens if not hundreds of scientific studies. Here are some resources to ignore then attack without reading:


• Scientific Evidence

• Evidence 2

• Summary

• By Dr. Burr

• Dr. Aquino

That's absolutely untrue, Pepperberg's experiments with Alex were quite systematic and rigorous. It's not a light read, but if you want to learn more about the methodology of her work and the data gained, read The Alex Studies.

Additionally, the lab is having similar success with the other birds in the program, so while Alex is a heck of a story, I don't think he can be considered a fluke.

 
 

(Bonus: if you want a less academic and fluffier read, pick up a copy of Alex & Me)

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

You need to read something better then. I recommend Matt Alper's The "God" Part of the Brain for starters.

Scientific and an easy read.


Oh, and the word is "a lot" not allot... because that's not even a word. Indicative of the reading you have done... volume and content.

Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman - Richard Feynman

Cosmos - Carl Sagan

On liberty - Stuart Mill

The oresteia - Aeschylus

Animal Cognition - Clive Wynn http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Cognition-Mental-Lives-Animals/dp/0333923960

Frankenstein's Monster - Mary Shelley

If you want to learn some vocabulary Hard Core you should read China Mieville.

if you are interested more on Mr Richards he has a book called Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences

http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Knowledge-Psychedelics-Religious-Experiences/dp/0231174063

I recently listened to a podcast with him that was interesting where he discusses some of the details like set and setting of the trials http://expandingmind.podbean.com/e/expanding-mind-%E2%80%93-psychedelics-and-religion-%E2%80%93-121715/

The short answer is yes, they were huge influence when Zen was first being established in the West:

People quickly realized their limitations. If you want to read an academic book on the subject I recommend Altered States: Buddhism and Psychedelic Spirituality in America by Doug Osto.

>they are not exactly 'mainstream' unless you consider the likes of geocities to be authoritative, likewise books about 'the secret government' etc.

I understand how this might appear at first glance, but there are only six references to geocities sites - all of them managed by Frank Ripel (Gianfranco Perilli), a leader of the Memphis Misraim Rite from 1981 through to its closure in 1999. In writing about this group, Joel van der Reijen (the author) is using (arguably) the best source available - the group's leader.

If you or I led some strange mystical group and someone mentioned it in their article, why not use primary source information - like the group leader's websites?

I didn't see any references to a book with a title similar to The Secret Government, although such subject matter is hardly without credibility in an age where the existence of a 'deep state' is an accepted fact. Are we to discard the works of Chomsky, Blum, and award-winning journalists like Seymour Hersh or David Wise because they address such subject matter? This thought process is why rigidly anti-conspiracy thinking is (in my view) flawed and dangerous.

>I don't see anything that wasn't previously available from another source, unless that information is coming from sources that are questionable at best.

One title that is referenced a number of times is De X Dossiers by Marie-Jeanne Van Heeswyck, Annemie Bulté, and Douglas De Coninck, published in 1999, which reproduces verbatim the testimonies of the so-called "X Witnesses." Before the publication of this article, none of these testimonies were available (in any form) digitally or in English.

Bulté and De Coninck, who were sued, censured and fired for bringing these testimonies to light, were respected journalists employed with one of the largest newspapers in Belgium. They continue to work for different papers such as Le Journal de Mardi, which Van Heeswyck co-founded with the lawyer for the parents of Loubna Benaïssa - a young girl whose murder was tied to these criminal networks, in part through the account of Regina Louf (X1).

>"As you can see, it's not unreasonable to keep an open mind that there could well exist a Satanic abuse cell somewhere within the earlier-mentioned black network. Like with any intelligence project, it would only be necessary for a few ritual and-or occult practitioners of, for example the Memphis-Misraim rite or the Martinist and Synarchist Order (or apparently Opus Dei and the Knights of Malta), to be initiated into this black network while all the rest of the staff and membership of these organizations would know little or nothing about these depraved practices. As for Opus Dei and Knights of Malta, the P2 lodge affair provided evidence that at the highest level these two Catholic organizations were in control, together with US intelligence. [335]

You're using an excerpt in which he is drawing conclusions without including the arguments or references used to support it. This statement, out of context, may appear far out to someone who isn't aware that:

(a) The figures identified by the "X Witnesses" were predominantly members of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (also known as the Knights of Malta) and Opus Dei.

(b) P.2. was without doubt an enterprise sponsored by the U.S. intelligence services and played a key role in anticommunist operations in Italy.

(c) The intelligence community uses a wide array of irregular groups to cover of its operations - including satanism. Did you know one of the largest and most oft-accused satanic groups in America, the Temple of Set, [was co-founded and is run] (http://www.equalparenting-bc.ca/news/images/button_aquino-devil-worshiper.jpg) [by a senior military intelligence officer who specialized in psychological warfare?] (https://www.amazon.ca/MindWar-Michael-Aquino-Ph-D/dp/1535199563) Or about the multiple, independent allegations from credible witnesses about child abuse and cult activity [on the army base in Presidio?] (http://www.outpost-of-freedom.com/aquino01.htm) Or that the U.S. intelligence services were tied to a religious group called "the Finders" which was implicated in child abuse and animal sacrifice? I know how insane that sounds - trust me. So what does it say about the world we live in [that it was reported in U.S. News & World Report (but never discussed again)?] (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b-rlyX3CkOo/UZnPVlO_piI/AAAAAAABkDI/2fvmFTR-Mpo/s1600/01e6e22130c10637.jpg)

The FBI (through figures like Kenneth Lanning and John Douglas) denies the existence of ritual satanic crime in the same way they denied (for years) the existence of organized crime or the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan.

>I've known this website since it first appeared, thanks to a friend who is a fiend for this stuff, so I am not dismissing it lightly. think of the trope of someone connecting a whole lot of unconnected news articles with bits of red string to create a grand conspiracy. add a focus on Masons and such, and you have this.

I understand, but the 'red strings' do represent connections and the burden of proof rests with the person claiming otherwise. We cannot arbitrarily value or devalue connective links from mainstream sources (the majority of the references being English and European-language newspapers) simply because we're repulsed by their implications.

Oh wow! We must be on the same wave length! I just recently purchased this book. MindWar Which I had glimpsed over before but now have a motivation to read it.

> the same intellectual ballpark as Terence McKenna

You've got to be kidding. What ballpark would that be? A sandbox with monkey bars?

Here, try something that's actually worth your time: http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Knowledge-Psychedelics-Religious-Experiences/dp/0231174063

I would check out The God Part of the Brain. It was fascinating to me, it explores some of the ways that humans developed a sense of god/religion/afterlife over time as we evolved.

renholder777: ^^original ^^reddit ^^link

Yes, Lt. Col. Michael "Mindwar" Aquino. But, I'm sure you're more than familiar with him. http://www.amazon.com/MindWar-Michael-A-Aquino-Ph-D/dp/1484926455

Yes, Lt. Col. Michael "Mindwar" Aquino. But, I'm sure you're more than familiar with him. http://www.amazon.com/MindWar-Michael-A-Aquino-Ph-D/dp/1484926455

I am not in the experimental psy track but I am really really sure one book is a must-have for every psy grad student----Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Generalized Causal Inference
https://www.amazon.com/Experimental-Quasi-Experimental-Designs-Generalized-Inference/dp/0395615569/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526485459&sr=8-1&keywords=quasi+experimental+design

There are several good articles out there, if you are interested.

http://jech.bmj.com/content/59/8/656 Is a fine one, and a very large study.

This book is also one I read, years ago now, but the info on the problems with IQ would be useful to you.

https://www.amazon.com/IQ-Human-Intelligence-Nicholas-Mackintosh/dp/0199585598/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319224833&sr=1-1

The "God" Part of the Brain by Matthew Alper

>Is Man the product of a God...or is "God" the product of human evolution?
>
>From the dawn of our species, every human culture-no matter how isolated-has believed in some form of a spiritual realm. According to author Matthew Alper, this is no mere coincidence but rather due to the fact that humans, as a species, are genetically predisposed to believe in the universal concepts of a god, a soul and an afterlife. This instinct to believe is the result of an evolutionary adaptation-a coping mechanism-that emerged in our species to help us survive our unique and otherwise debilitating awareness of death.
>
>Spiritual seekers and atheists alike will be compelled and transformed by Matthew Alper's classic study of science and religion. The 'God' Part of the Brain has gained critical acclaim from some of the world's leading scientists, secular humanists, and theologians, and is as a must read for anyone who has pondered the question of God's existence, as well as the meaning of our own.

Check out this link to the John Hopkins Study music playlist on Spotify.

https://open.spotify.com/user/1213299007/playlist/6eD2isTqIlgmoywT4ie3LR?si=4uTUTQLFSuu1e2SJKXvfRg

They put eyeshades on the person and they listen to this for the entire duration. Here is a good book on the subject:


https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Knowledge-Psychedelics-Religious-Experiences/dp/0231174063/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548995768&sr=8-1&keywords=bill+richards

For research methods in behavioral and social sciences, you probably can't get better than Shadish, Cook, and Campbell's : Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Design for generalized causal inference. As far as stats go, the Andy Field books are good and he has one for R, one for SAS, and one for SPSS. I prefer the John Fox book on Applied Regression analysis and the corresponding r book. Here are some links:
http://www.amazon.com/Experimental-Quasi-Experimental-Designs-Generalized-Inference/dp/0395615569/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417220301&sr=8-1&keywords=shadish+cook+and+campbell

http://www.amazon.com/Applied-Regression-Analysis-Generalized-Linear/dp/0761930426/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1417220395&sr=8-6&keywords=John+Fox

http://www.amazon.com/An-R-Companion-Applied-Regression/dp/141297514X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

Mil Intel Psyop

Read this to understand more

https://www.amazon.com/MindWar-Michael-Aquino-Ph-D/dp/1535199563

Is the government involved in invasion of the mind beyond the blundering, haphazard legacy of the infamous MKULTRA experiments?

http://www.amazon.com/MindWar-Michael-A-Aquino-Ph-D/dp/1484926455

Cook and Campbell is the definitive scholarly reference on the quantitative side.

The Sacred Mushroom and The Cross: A study of the nature and origins of Christianity within the fertility cults of the ancient Near East https://www.amazon.com/dp/0982556276/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_-z4EDbWFEQT1P

The Psychedelic Gospels: The Secret History of Hallucinogens in Christianity https://www.amazon.com/dp/1620555026/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_SA4EDb1CJH5WS

Astrotheology & Shamanism: Christianity's Pagan Roots. A Revolutionary Reinterpretation of the Evidence (Black & White Edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1439222428/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_bB4EDbW0ZGGTT

Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences https://www.amazon.com/dp/0231174063/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_rC4EDbZ2RWDBS

DMT and the Soul of Prophecy: A New Science of Spiritual Revelation in the Hebrew Bible https://www.amazon.com/dp/1594773424/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_9C4EDb46EFXG4

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The belief in an afterlife is a coping mechanism for humans that can't accept the fact that we are born, some reproduce then we die. http://www.amazon.com/The-God-Part-Brain-Interpretation/dp/1402214529

> Those aren't decisions in a free will sense.

Decision making and "free will" are different discussions. The concept of free will could take us down a separate rabbit hole, so for now I'll say that humans, being more intelligent and living more complex lives than animals, have a vastly greater amount of options for any scenario. This gives us a sense of freedom to choose whatever we want, but we are still confined to what's physically possible or what we can imagine, and the choices we make are based on some level of reasoning.


> I'm not dismissing this.

It sounded like it when you said "Oh but you don't believe that."


> That disturbs the chemicals in our brains.

That's not too far from accurate. You can Google and find studies that show your brain can be rewired by traumatic events and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) attempts to adjust that wiring through practice. Here's one article that's related: Scientists Have Discovered How Traumatic Experiences Actually Rewire The Brain. To this point, everything you experience is because of your brain, even your concept of God. This book's a little simplistic in the beginning but the neurology part is good: The "God" Part of the Brain: A Scientific Interpretation of Human Spirituality and God


> only societies that do certain things have any chance of surviving

This argument doesn't logically follow my statement of "right and wrong is subjective". Societies fall for various reasons having nothing to do with morality; natural disasters, for one. How broadly are we using the term "societies"?

> What is Right is determined by what ultimately brings us closer to synthesis. Unity with God.

That's your opinion, which I'm open to hearing evidence or reasoning for. Which God? Everyone's concept of a god is slightly different than the next. How's that not subjective?


> morality is objective

Objectivity requires no influence by personal feelings or opinions. It implies a pure fact. If person 1 thinks killing is always wrong, person 2 thinks it's wrong unless it's for X reason, and person 3 thinks it's never wrong but can always be justified, then those are three subjective points of view. If you're saying outside of that there is an objective stance on it, how is one to know it and that it's not their own subjectivity?

The infamous Aminom_Marvin once quipped that World War III has been under way since the end of World War II and that it is mostly a memetic affair, a mind war.