Mental Health

Belief in Supernatural Linked to Real-World Protection

By Christine Hsu | Update Date: Sep 23, 2014 04:13 PM EDT

Guardian angels really do protect people who believe in them, according to science.

Scientists found that the people who believe in guardian angels are more cautious and less likely to take risks, despite believing that they are being protected.

The latest survey, which involved 198 individuals, found that 68 percent of participants who said they believed in guardian angels said that their belief affects how they take risks.

Surprisingly, the majority of people who believe in guardian angels were less likely to take risks than their non-believing counterparts. However, some participants said their belief in the supernatural makes them more risky.

 Researchers noted that people who believed in guardian angels rated driving 20 km/h over the speed limit as more dangerous compared to those who didn't believe. Believers rated speeding as having a risk level of three out of five, and non-believers rated speeding as having a risk level of two out of five.

"It may be that people who have a tendency to view the world as being risky or potentially dangerous are more inclined to have a belief in personal guardian spirits," researchers wrote in the study.

The findings are published in the open access journal SAGE Open.

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