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 In 140 characters or less, Christians seem to be spreading love and joy more than atheists.
June 28th, 2013
08:02 AM ET
Christians happier than atheists – on TwitterBy Jessica Ravitz, CNN (CNN) - Christians tweet from the heart, atheists from the head, according to a new study. The study conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign tapped Twitter as a research tool and compared the messages of Christians and atheists. The conclusion: When they are limited to 140 characters or less, these researchers say, believers are happier than their counterparts. Two doctoral students in social psychology and an adviser analyzed the casual language of nearly 2 million tweets from more than 16,000 active users to come up with their findings, which were published in Social Psychological and Personality Science. The team identified subjects by finding Twitter users who followed the feeds of five prominent public figures. In the case of Christians, those select five were Pope Benedict XVI, Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, conservative political commentator Dinesh D’Souza and Joyce Meyer, an evangelical author and speaker. In the case of atheists, the five followed feeds included Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Monica Salcedo and Michael Shermer - the latter two respectively being a self-described “fiercely outspoken atheist” blogger, and a science writer who founded The Skeptics Society. With the help of a text analysis program, the researchers found that Christians tweet with higher frequency words reflecting positive emotions, social relationships and an intuitive style of thinking – the sort that’s gut-driven. This isn’t to say that atheists don’t use these words, too, but they out-tweet Christians when it comes to analytic words and words associated with negative emotions. Christians, they found, are more likely to use words like “love,” “happy” and “great”; “family,” “friend” and “team.” Atheists win when it comes to using words like “bad,” “wrong,” and “awful” or “think,” “reason” and “question,” said Ryan Ritter, one of the students behind the study. While not perfect – for example, this sort of word examination can’t account for sarcasm – word choices, Ritter and his colleagues argue, reflect something about a person’s mindset. An analytical thinker (atheist) is more likely to be skeptical or critical, for example, whereas an intuitive thinker (Christian) is guided by emotion and certainty. Based on previous studies cited by these researchers, analytical thinking may "diminish the capacity for optimism and positive self-illusions that typify good mental health." Likewise, mentions of social connections, which they say are often provided in a “tight-knit moral community,” suggest stronger relationships among Christian tweeters and are, they add, often an indicator of happiness. The takeaway, Ritter wrote in an e-mail, is “not that religion is associated with more happiness, per se, but why?” “If we can understand the factors that facilitate happiness (e.g., increased social support), ideally we can use these insights to increase well-being for believers and nonbelievers alike,” Ritter said. But the Twitter study doesn’t fly with everyone. After reading an article about the study on Pacific Standard magazine’s website, Richard Wade, an advice columnist for the blog Friendly Atheist, called it “useless and misleading” and based on “sloppy research.” He wrote, “The take away for most lay people is ‘Atheists are unhappy people.’ … How do you quantify ‘happiness’? How do you quantify ‘analytical thinking’?” “Even in their acknowledgments about the possible biases in their study, the authors still use absurd and meaningless terms like ‘militant atheist,’” he added. “This study suffers from the same negative stereotypes about atheists that most of society has, and it has simply reinforced that prejudice with more muddled thinking.” Ritter, who happens to describe himself as a happy atheist, said in hindsight he wishes they hadn’t used the word “militant” and that no ill will was intended. They simply wanted to describe those who have “extremely negative attitudes” when it comes to religion. “I am a friend of the atheists! My response to Richard would be that he should apply the ‘principle of charity’ when interpreting other’s research (i.e., that it’s possible we’re NOT incompetent,” he wrote in an e-mail. “This is not an assumption; this is the pattern we observed in the data.”
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Time to go home... enjoy the mêlée...
“It would make me happy if my family and friends could come together as a team and burn all the witches to prove our love for Jesus”
This comment would max out the good-meter
And this one would bottom out the bad meter:
I think it’s bad not to question things we know are wrong. Is it really so awful to think for yourself using logic and reason?
Very hindu christard, ignorant savior ist secular , self centered idea.
enhanced your joy, add Islam bot to fire.
Look at the people who proclaim their rejection of God in their tweets and on this blog, proudly strutting around like they are so clever and rebellious, as if opposition to God is something worthy to achieve. The truth is we are all born into a fallen state of depravity and enmity against our Holy Creator, so to be proud of that is no different than a mule being proud of refusing to till its master's field on a hot day. Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor? But I'm sure the comic irony is lost on the very people who display it.
None is in opposition to truth absolute GOD, but hindu secular s, crook self centered by faith, they just not deny HIM, truth absolute GOD, but they consider themselves to be hindu HOTO s, ignorant goon gods, out of their idiotic atheism, stupid self center ism.
hey, better stop all the scientists in the world from using analytical thought - apparently it's not healthy. let's all turn our brains off so we're "happy". no more rockets and satellites, no more computers and cell phones, no more medicine or electricity...
instead, let's all stop thinking so much and just obey. mindless automatons that never stop to think.
i'm sure this will put us on a great path to prosperity!
To point out doG's post, look what Islam did for Arab culture.
You should know by now that prosperity and happiness are not the same thing. All the "things" that you mentioned did come about from a sterile analytical thought bubble.
World Araby means according to the will of truth absolute GOD, without RAB, the creator, truth absolute, there is no Arab culture, but hinduism, illegality, never part of Araby culture.
logic and happiness are not mutually exclusive. you can have both. you and the author seem to assume cognitive thinking makes you unhappy. why does reasoning need to be "sterile"? bad assumption. it is possible to be a happy scientist.
Just hit "report abuse" on this ISLAMIC fundie and ignore him.
@Bootyfunk- "you and the author seem to assume cognitive thinking makes you unhappy."
No, I don' think that way.
"why does reasoning need to be "sterile"?"
I didn't mean in the way you are thinking. I meant those things didn't come about from only analytical thought.
"it is possible to be a happy scientist."
As much as being a intelligent preacher.
Wow, I just love where it says, "...analytical thinking may 'diminish the capacity for optimism and positive self-illusions that typify good mental health" LOL! and the implicit observation that Christians are not analytical thinkers. I wonder how many Christians caught on to that one. It also begs the question, "Does someone who does not think analytically know what they *should* be optimistic about?"
Incidentally, overly positive self-illusions and irrational optimism also typify many mental illnesses.
https://www.facebook.com/atheistevolution/posts/502202106514349?comment_id=4325707&offset=0&total_comments=12
"Christians, they found, are more likely to use words like “love,” “happy” and “great”; “family,” “friend” and “team.”
Atheists win when it comes to using words like “bad,” “wrong,” and “awful” or “think,” “reason” and “question,” said Ryan Ritter, one of the students behind the study."
Looking at the actual study is instructive here.
Curiously, the 30 words highlighted in the study with the biggest differences between atheists and Christians (from p23, per 100,000 words) ARE:
Top 15 Words Christians use more:
......................Xian .. A ...Diff ..Percent
Forgive ........... 6 .... 3 ... 3 ... 33%
Feelings .........7 .... 4 ... 3 ... 27%
Memories....... 6 .... 4 ... 2 ... 20%
Knowing ........ 8 ..... 6 ... 2 ... 14%
Feeling ........ 26 ... 20 ... 6 ... 13%
Knows ......... 16 ... 13 ... 3 ... 10%
Appreciate ... 11 ..... 9 ... 2 ... 10%
Realize ......... 11 ..... 9 ... 2 ... 10%
Learn ............ 24 ... 20 ... 4 .... 9%
Info ................ 12 ... 10 ... 2 .... 9%
Remember .. 35 ... 30 ... 5 .... 8%
Knew ............. 17 ... 15 ... 2 .... 6%
Become ........ 20 ...18 ... 2 .... 5%
Feel ............... 67 ... 62 ... 5 .... 4%
Know .......... 211 . 198 .. 13... 3%
Curiously, none of the words in the quote, (love, happy, great, family, friend or team) actually show up in the analysis presented in the report. Words like forgive, feelings and memories do.
Top 15 Words Athests use more
..................... Xian .. A ...Diff ..Percent
Curiousity ... 1 ...... 6 .... -5 .... -71%
Logic ............ 2 ...... 8 ... -6 .... -60%
Belief ........... 3 .... 11 .... -8 ....-57%
Beliefs ......... 3 ...... 9 .... -6 ... -50%
Seems ....... 16 ... 28 .. -12 ... -27%
Idea ............. 20 ... 32 .. -12 ... -23%
Seem ......... 10 ... 16 ..... -6 ... -23%
Sense ........ 13 ... 20 ..... -7 ... -21%
Link ............ 14 ... 20 ..... -6 ... -18%
Question ... 19 ... 26 ..... -7 ... -16%
Reason ...... 22 .. 30 ..... -8 ... -15%
Thought ..... 44 ... 59 ... -15 ... -15%
Found ......... 28 .. 36 ..... -8 ... -13%
Mean .......... 35 ... 42 ..... -7 ..... -9%
Believe ....... 54 ... 61 ..... -7..... -6%
None of bad, wrong or awful show up in the list of Atheist words. Curiousity, logic and belief/beliefs do.
I call foul on Ryan Ritter by providing a quote not substantiated by the data in his paper. BS!
So at the end of the day, Christians used words like "feelings" and "forgive" more in their tweets.
Atheists used words like "curiousity", "logic" and and "belief" more in their tweets.
Wow! What a conclusion.
thanks for posting this. it shows how you can draw any conclusion you want from flimsy research. look at the words on the atheist list - those are negative words? lol. this research is a joke.
on a side note, the word blood appears about 100 more times in the bible than the word love. perhaps this guy should do some research on that.
Excellent response! I re-posted it on the AE Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/atheistevolution/posts/502202106514349?comment_id=4325707&offset=0&total_comments=13
Bootyfunk
hinduism, absurdity of a hindu secular, ignorant self centered, who reveled truth of flow of fresh and salt water flowing together in seas, but never mixing with each other, hundreds of years before hindu s, non believers could see it with their own eyes, None other than truth absolute, GOD, foundation of existence and consti tuion of USA, designer and creator of world HIMSELF.
^^ babble babble babble ^^
word salad.
muslimism, absurdity of a muslim secular, ignorant self centered, who reveled truth of flow of fresh and salt water flowing together in seas, but never mixing with each other, hundreds of years before muslim s, non believers could see it with their own eyes, None other than truth absolute, GOD, foundation of existence and consti tuion of USA, designer and creator of world HIMSELF.
i wonder how they add up points for christians saying f.ags should die? or that women should be obedient to their husbands, a biblical command? or any of the other hateful cr@p found in the bible?
christians happier? perhaps more deluded.
I have to laugh at this blog sometimes. Come on CNN, whether it's true or not, is there someone that sits around and tries to come up with blog t itles that are meant just to attract angry responses?
You know that the very vocal atheists on here will deny this while the very vocal religious will get smug.
welcome to the CNN belief blog!
How happy is christard Magi, savior ist crook, as much as a CHAMELEON on a tree to hind, poison his victim.
Batshit verrückt ist keine Tugend
Verdamata noch mal.
"Verdamata NOCH mal" das ist nicht Deutsch...
Schwaba.
good news, everyone! if you join a cult and turn your brain off, you'll be happy! that's right, just ditch that troublesome cognitive thinking. no more analyzing situations. just look to your religious leaders and ask them what you think.
beautiful!
Only if you believe the science in this study, which some atheists have already questioned
Well Bill do you believe in the beast below ?
"Only if you believe the science in this study"
I must have missed the science part, can you point to it in the article? All I could find was shoddy conjecture based on a text analysis program.
Cultured atheisms are socially ingrained upon individualistic forbearances rallying around the design rather then the designer.
Hey Bill is it to hard of a question ?
@heavensent won't answer my question about who or what created god.
when I ask that simple and core question, he always insults me and accuses me of arrogance.
I hope that a Christian mind that is full of so many opinions (as posted in this forum) will be able to give me an enlightening answer. (though I'll not hold my breath).
God's spirit is the vastness of spatial nothingness while our embodied nothingness is our spiritual being. Go Figure!
Why should anyone care if heavensent has responded to you?
@Lycidas
as long as you care enough to comment, that's all that matters. Thanks for caring.
Lycidas
Why should anyone care if heavensent has responded to you?
.............
Why do you take interest in anyone caring if heavensent responded to him? Apparently you do.
I think you two are a bit slow on caring what hs thinks about doggy and caring to point out the stupidity of doggy in trying to..what...humiliate HS?
I mean really....what is your point in your post if not to try and put HS down.
Come on, at least try to act like adults.
Lycidas
I mean really....what is your point in your post if not to try and put HS down.
-------------
Appears he is trying to get a question answered
John Stemberger- "Appears he is trying to get a question answered"
Then he could have easily asked it back where the original post was right? Do you really think posting here would make HS respond anymore than at the other place?
No, this is just a lame attempt to point out some kind of fault in HS. I find it odd when considering that HS tends to telegraph his faults well enough without help.
But HS can't think, therefore has no cogent thoughts.
Hey all creationists/chavic too ID believers......... do you really think the beast below is FAKE ?
How 'Parrot Dinosaur' Switched from Four Feet to Two as It Grew
June 28, 2013 — Tracking the growth of dinosaurs and how they changed as they grew is difficult. Using a combination of biomechanical analysis and bone histology, palaeontologists from Beijing, Bristol, and Bonn have shown how one of the best-known dinosaurs switched from four feet to two as it grew.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130628092147.htm
and big ones in old New York .
What about this:
He has let free the two seas meeting together. (55:19)
Between them there is a barrier which they do not transgress. (55:20)
A famous French oceanographer, J. Cousteau, gives the following account as a result of his studies in water barriers: “We studied the assertions by certain researchers about barriers separating seas, and noticed that the Mediterranean Sea had its own salinity and density and housed autochthonous fauna and flora. Then we examined the water of the Atlantic Ocean and discovered features entirely different from those of the Mediterranean Sea. According to our expectations, these two seas that merged in the strait of Gibraltar should present similar characteristics in terms of salinity, density and other properties. The two seas presented different features even though they were adjacent. This greatly puzzled us. An incredible barrier prevented the two seas from coming together. The same sort of a barrier had also been observed in Bab Al-Mandab in the Gulf of Aden connecting with the Red Sea.
Humans have been observing these water barriers for centuries. There is nothing mystical or magical about them unless you know nothing about chemistry and salinity and water tempuratures.
the quran and science don't mix. one example of many: the quran says the earth existed before the sun. we know that's not true. the quran fails hard at science.
@LIGHT,
Apparently the two do mix.
http://www.livescience.com/29738-strait-of-gibraltar-where-atlantic-meets-mediterranean.html
You can learn about as much science from the quran as you can physics from "Horton Hears a Hoo"... now your sure that nest can fit an elephant?
early arabs were by far the most advanced scientists and mathematicians of their time. No surprise that they knew these wonders of nature.
Look at what their religion has done to them. But for oil, they would all be third world countries. Islam has killed their science and knowledge and replaced it with voodoo.
This also is for head and brain and heart:
Then We developed the drop into a hanging, then developed the hanging into a chewed lump of flesh.(23:14)
The Quran continues displaying its miracles in its description of “alaq” succeeded by the “mudga” (chewed lump of flesh) stage. As a matter of fact, the embryo in the uterus has the appearance of a chewed lump of flesh, a tiny piece of flesh. (22: 5), speaks “of chewed lump of flesh, partly formed and partly unformed,”
which is a good description of the aspect of the fetus. The aspect presented to our sight is of an indented figure whose head, feet and internal organs have begun to develop (partly formed, partly unformed).
Prof. Keith L. Moore says that he had a model made in plastic in the shape of an embryo and bit on it, leaving the marks of his teeth; this seemed to be an exact reproduction of an embryo, and explained the indentation referred to in the Quran.
Signs in the high universe, seas and inside the wombs where no one can tell but Allah.
Verse 4:34
Men are in charge of women by [right of] what Allah has given one over the other and what they spend [for maintenance] from their wealth. So righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in [the husband's] absence what Allah would have them guard. But those [wives] from whom you fear arrogance – [first] advise them; [then if they persist], forsake them in bed; and [finally], strike them. But if they obey you [once more], seek no means against them. Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted and Grand.
how can you respect such anti-women trash?
Really LIGHT .................do you think these are fake ?
How 'Parrot Dinosaur' Switched from Four Feet to Two as It Grew
June 28, 2013 — Tracking the growth of dinosaurs and how they changed as they grew is difficult. Using a combination of biomechanical analysis and bone histology, palaeontologists from Beijing, Bristol, and Bonn have shown how one of the best-known dinosaurs switched from four feet to two as it grew.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130628092147.htm
LIGHT,
This gets debunked every time you post it. Why are you so silly?
Ancient women had miscarriages - and even abortions at various stages of fetal development - of course they knew what the tissue looked like.
"had a model made in plastic in the shape of an embryo and bit on it, leaving the marks of his teeth; this seemed to be an exact reproduction of an embryo"
lol. He made a model in the shape of an embryo, then is surprised that it seemed to be an exact reproduction of an embryo. You have to just laugh, I mean, talk about grasping at straws.
the early arabs were by far the most advanced scientists and mathematicians of their time. No surprise that they knew these wonders of nature.
Look at what their religion has done to them. But for oil, they would all be third world countries. Islam has killed their science and knowledge and replaced it with voodoo.
"Based on previous studies cited by these researchers, analytical thinking may "diminish the capacity for optimism and positive self-illusions that typify good mental health.""
hahaha. this study is a joke. he's saying the more you think and use your brain, the less happy you will be. way to go against cognitive thinking. because people analyze situations instead of going forward like mindless zombies doesn't mean we're unhappy. i became much happier when i realized there was no invisible sky fairy sending people to be tortured for eternity if they didn't follow all his crazy rules.
Bootyfunk,
Negative arousals make people out to be less positive therefore the dumbing down of the species becomes the pragmatic venues of damning perplexity's dissonances.
But this is from the head:
Do not these disbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were an integrated mass, which We then split, and from water We made all living things? Will they not believe even then? (21:30)
With power did We construct Heaven. Verily, We are expanding it. (51:47)
On that day We will fold the heaven, like the folding of a book. Just as We initiated the first creation, We will revert it. This is Our promise. We will certainly fulfill it. (21:104)
The greatness of the Quran, which stated 1400 years ago that the universe was created from the one primordial wholeness(which we are calling the big bang theory), that it expanded, and that it would shrink back -at a time when all scientific evidence was lacking- is understood better today with the advance of science and the discovery of the mystery of the universe.
See how Quran is talking about the past, the present and the future of the universe very accurately where no one else can do it.
Now show us what did the Earth or the Nature said to us.
the qu'ran tells husbands to beat disobedient and mouthy wives. not sure i want to take advice from such a brutal book. the bible is just as bad.
Science says the universe is flat and still expanding into oblivion.
Va.gue prophecies, simple observations, and unverifiable claims.
It means nothing.
the early arab people were by far the most advanced scientists and mathematicians of their time. No surprise that they knew these wonders of nature.
Look at what their religion has done to them. But for oil, they would all be third world countries. Islam has killed their science and knowledge and replaced it with voodoo.
This is silly, What a waste of time.
Assumptive rationalisms are sometimes viewed as being more negative then positive momentums. Many folks dilly dally with procrastinating verbalisms while pointing their fingers at issues to make dissonant rapturing a negative committal.
We hear you lionly. Daily believer momentum of positivism on twitter verbalism is better than dissonant dilly dally rupturing of unbeliever negativisms
Only for those who can read, write and understand more than 140 characters:
Putting the kibosh on all religion in less than ten seconds: Priceless !!!
• As far as one knows or can tell, there was no Abraham i.e. the foundations of Judaism, Christianity and Islam are non-existent.
• As far as one knows or can tell, there was no Moses i.e the pillars of Judaism, Christianity and Islam have no strength of purpose.
• There was no Gabriel i.e. Islam fails as a religion. Christianity partially fails.
• There was no Easter i.e. Christianity completely fails as a religion.
• There was no Moroni i.e. Mormonism is nothing more than a business cult.
• Sacred/revered cows, monkey gods, castes, reincarnations and therefore Hinduism fails as a religion.
• Fat Buddhas here, skinny Buddhas there, reincarnated/reborn Buddhas everywhere makes for a no on Buddhism.
• A constant cycle of reincarnation until enlightenment is reached and belief that various beings (angels?, tinkerbells? etc) exist that we, as mortals, cannot comprehend makes for a no on Sikhism.
Added details available upon written request.
A quick search will put the kibosh on any other groups calling themselves a religion.
e.g. Taoism
"The origins of Taoism are unclear. Traditionally, Lao-tzu who lived in the sixth century is regarded as its founder. Its early philosophic foundations and its later beliefs and rituals are two completely different ways of life. Today (1982) Taoism claims 31,286,000 followers.
Legend says that Lao-tzu was immaculately conceived by a shooting star; carried in his mother's womb for eighty-two years; and born a full grown wise old man. "
You are confusing Philosophies and Religions.
American Heritage Dictionary:
Tao·ism
n.
"A principal philosophy and system of religion of China based on the teachings of Lao-tzu in the sixth century B.C. and on subsequent revelations. It advocates preserving and restoring the Tao in the body and the cosmos.
There is no confusion with any of the noted religions and their theologies and philosophies.
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/taoism#ixzz2XXnLlxXU
You are correct Russell.