I have just started reading the interesting book by Daniel Kahneman titled "Thinking, Fast and Slow". Among other things he talks about how all of us are "primed" for certain actions, behaviours and choices by what we experience. He briefly reports the results of one psychologist's study.
People in the experimental group were exposed to money words, or to a stack of monopoly money, or a screen saver that had dollar bills floating on it. They were involved in some exercise and so did not pay direct attention to these "money indicators". However the "priming effects" of placing the idea of money on the subjects minds were measured afterward. The results were quite conclusive.
Having just been exposed to the idea of money, subjects were primed toward "a reluctance to be involved with others, or to accept demands from others." In other words they were moved to independence and selfishness. Kahneman comments that "living in a culture that surrounds us with reminders of money may shape our behaviour and our attitudes in ways we do not know about and of which we may not be proud."
We know the stern Bible warning that "the love of money is the root of all evil (or all kinds of evil)." In fact that warning is found in an extended section of I Timothy 6. There we are called to be content and not to make the pursuit of money a major factor in our life. We know that money and the things it can buy can become as controlling as any idolatry.
These kind of psychological conclusions arrived at by experiments that are well thought out and well controlled come to us as additional warnings. Our subconscious and intuitive decision making will be affected by the things around us. In our materialistic culture we must work harder at being generous and serving others than if we lived in a culture where helping others and working in a group is clearly encouraged more than making money.
With God's help, biblical meditation and the fellowship of other Christians, we can resist the urge to focus on money and selfish desires. We can "prime ourselves" to think of others first and so follow Christ. If we don't, our culture will "prime us" in a way we don't want to go.
People in the experimental group were exposed to money words, or to a stack of monopoly money, or a screen saver that had dollar bills floating on it. They were involved in some exercise and so did not pay direct attention to these "money indicators". However the "priming effects" of placing the idea of money on the subjects minds were measured afterward. The results were quite conclusive.
Having just been exposed to the idea of money, subjects were primed toward "a reluctance to be involved with others, or to accept demands from others." In other words they were moved to independence and selfishness. Kahneman comments that "living in a culture that surrounds us with reminders of money may shape our behaviour and our attitudes in ways we do not know about and of which we may not be proud."
We know the stern Bible warning that "the love of money is the root of all evil (or all kinds of evil)." In fact that warning is found in an extended section of I Timothy 6. There we are called to be content and not to make the pursuit of money a major factor in our life. We know that money and the things it can buy can become as controlling as any idolatry.
These kind of psychological conclusions arrived at by experiments that are well thought out and well controlled come to us as additional warnings. Our subconscious and intuitive decision making will be affected by the things around us. In our materialistic culture we must work harder at being generous and serving others than if we lived in a culture where helping others and working in a group is clearly encouraged more than making money.
With God's help, biblical meditation and the fellowship of other Christians, we can resist the urge to focus on money and selfish desires. We can "prime ourselves" to think of others first and so follow Christ. If we don't, our culture will "prime us" in a way we don't want to go.
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