People who are otherwise smart often believe dumb things. History is littered with them. Which is why appeal to authority should always be regarded with skeptic

People who are otherwise smart often believe dumb things. History is littered with them. Which is why appeal to authority should always be regarded with skepticism. This prayer example illustrates a series of fallacies and human biases. Confirmation bias, survivorship bias, apophenia, post-hoc reasoning... many ways we know our brains trick us. Try this pre-registered, with large numbers and control groups. Or just read the literature from people who did. Prayer does nothing.