Prominent historical examples of magical thinking, the belief in imaginary agencies, that became commonplace throughout the world, presumably because of its adaptive value for the individual and societies. (A) “Cain Fleeing from the Wrath of God” William Blake, British (1757–1827). The belief that one will be punished by an imagined “God” for immoral acts would be expected to reduce the incidence of such acts. Examples include behaviors that adversely affect monogamous relationships (adultery) or violent acts against other members of a society (murder). (B) “Saint valentine receives a rosary from the virgin” David Teniers III, Flemish, (1600s). The belief in a loving God and “angels” can facilitate cooperation and caring for others.
Mattson M
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<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2014.00265">Image file</a> from <cite style="font-style:normal">Mattson M (2014). "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4141622">Superior pattern processing is the essence of the evolved human brain</a>". <i>Frontiers in Neuroscience</i>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier" class="extiw" title="w:Digital object identifier">DOI</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2014.00265">10.3389/fnins.2014.00265</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PMID" class="extiw" title="w:PMID">PMID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25202234">25202234</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PubMed_Central" class="extiw" title="w:PubMed Central">PMC</a>: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4141622">4141622</a>.</cite>