A new paper in the Journal of Experimental Psychology
http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/xge-ofp-shenhav.pdf proposes that
those who think intuitively (" For the purposes of this study, intuition is
thought of as the tendency to rely on first instincts and to reach decisions
quickly and then stick by them.") are more likely to say they believe in the
existence of God than those who have a reflective style of thinking
"(Reflection, on the other hand, is a slower process that involves
questioning initial instincts and looking at a wider range of
alternatives.")

Another interesting thought, proposed by Christopher Hitchens in his newest
book, *Arguably:  Essays*, is that people are more likely to say they're
atheists now because there's more access to different points of view and
information (via the internet) than there was before.  I imagine it must
have been a lonely business being an atheist in the "old days."

I'm much more aware of many people being comfortable saying they're atheists
or agnostics.  I don't think this was true in earlier decades, at least not
in my experience.

Beth Benoit
Granite State College
Plymouth State University
New Hampshire

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