A free will needs a free mind: Belief in substance dualism and reductive physicalism differentially predict belief in free will and determinism

Views on the mind-brain problem do matter: Assumptions and practical implications among psychiatrists and mental health researchers in Brazil

OBJECTIVE

Despite being rarely discussed, understanding themind-brain problem (MBP) is essential to mental health. We aimed to explore the assumptions and practical implications of MBP among mental health professionals.

METHODS

We recruited psychiatrists and mental health researchers. MBP perspectives were assessed directly and indirectly (via thought experiments and clinical vignettes).

RESULTS

214 participants participated. Most (60.7%) believed the mind is a product of the brain, however endorsed lower persistence of mental characteristics than physical after thebody duplication experiment. Neurobiological etiology attribution to the clinical vignette was associated with reduced attribution of patient's responsibility, the inverse for psychological etiology. Substance dualism correlated with belief in free will and spiritual etiologies without denying neurobiological, psychological, and social etiologies.

CONCLUSIONS

MBP assumptions influence perceptions of etiology, responsibility, and free will, highlighting the importance of understanding MBP for advancing psychiatry.

The gender-sex incongruence is partly a mind-body incongruence

Transgender individuals consider their gender (a psychological construct) as distinct from their natal gender, assigned based on their sex (i.e., their body). Does this incongruence reflect a dissonance between sex and gender, specifically, or a broader tension in the perception of minds and bodies? To address this question, here we gauged mind-body intuitions in transgender and cisgender individuals. Results showed that transgender participants considered the mind as more ethereal, as more resilient to the obliteration of one's body by death (in Experiment 1) and to its swapping with another person's body (in Experiment 2). Remarkably, these intuitions emerged even when participants were asked to consider psychological traits that are unrelated to gender (e.g., forming sentences). They also correlated with participants' own gender identity. These results reveal striking psychological differences between transgender and cisgender individuals. In the eyes of transgender people, the self is aligned more strongly with the ethereal mind, rather than with the body.

Are mental disorders related to disbelief in free will? A systematic review

BACKGROUND

The nature and existence of free will have been debated for centuries. Since some psychiatric disorders are known to interfere with one's ability to control their actions and thoughts (e.g., schizophrenia), the investigation of the psychiatric facet of free will beliefs seems to be relevant. In this systematic review, we were interested in clarifying if and how having a mental disorder affects individuals' beliefs in free will by comparing psychiatric vs. non-psychiatric samples.

METHODS

A systematic search of MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases was performed between 04 and 09 November 2020. The search strategy included "free will" and related constructs and terms related to DSM-5 mental disorders characterized by psychotic, compulsive, avoidant, or impulsive symptoms. Eligible designs of studies included case-control and cohort studies. Study selection took place in committee meetings consisting of six researchers. Quality assessment of the selected studies was performed through the Joanna Briggs Institute Appraisal Checklist for Case Control Studies.

RESULTS

After removing duplicates, a total of 12,218 titles/abstracts were screened. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were followed, and three articles were eventually selected.

CONCLUSIONS

It is not possible to provide unequivocal confirmation that having a mental disorder can or cannot affect someone's belief in free will. Studies with different mental disorders should be conducted in this field.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42018109468.

Spiritual Beliefs and Hastened Death: A Study on Medical Students

This study focuses on the impact of common spiritual beliefs regarding metaphysical questions in agreeability with the practice of hastened death. A sample of 497 Portuguese medical students was collected. Differences between genders and religions, predictors for agreeability with hastened death and the association between spiritual beliefs and opinion towards hastened death cases were assessed. Respondents were mostly favourable to the practice of hastened death. Formal religious affiliation and higher levels of religiosity significantly associated with lesser agreeability with hastened death. Statistically significant association was found between every hastened death scenario and multiple of the spiritual beliefs used. A number of spiritual beliefs were predictors of agreeability. We discuss the implications of religion and spirituality in agreeability with hastened death. Further research is required to better understand the true weight of spirituality in one's opinion towards this ethical dilemma.

Overstepping the boundaries of free choice: Folk beliefs on free will and determinism in real world contexts

We know little about the commonality of folk beliefs around applications of psychological research on the unconscious control of behaviours. To address this, in Experiment 1 (N = 399) participants volunteered examples of where research on the unconscious has been applied to influence their behaviours. A subset of these were presented in Experiment 2 (N = 198) and Experiment 3 (N = 100). Participants rated the extent to which the behaviour being influenced in these contexts was: (1) via the unconscious, (2) free, (3) the result of prior conscious intentions, (4) under conscious control. Relative to judgements about the extent to which behaviour was influenced via the unconscious, the remaining judgements regarding conscious control of behaviours were either higher (e.g., political contexts) or lower (e.g., therapy). This study is the first to show, using ecologically valid examples, the folk beliefs people share on psychological constructs concerning free will and determinism.

Free will beliefs are better predicted by dualism than determinism beliefs across different cultures

Most people believe in free will. Whether this belief is warranted or not, free will beliefs (FWB) are foundational for many legal systems and reducing FWB has effects on behavior from the motor to the social level. This raises the important question as to which specific FWB people hold. There are many different ways to conceptualize free will, and some might see physical determinism as a threat that might reduce FWB, while others might not. Here, we investigate lay FWB in a large, representative, replicated online survey study in the US and Singapore (n = 1800), assessing differences in FWB with unprecedented depth within and between cultures. Specifically, we assess the relation of FWB, as measured using the Free Will Inventory, to determinism, dualism and related concepts like libertarianism and compatibilism. We find that libertarian, compatibilist, and dualist, intuitions were related to FWB, but that these intuitions were often logically inconsistent. Importantly, direct comparisons suggest that dualism was more predictive of FWB than other intuitions. Thus, believing in free will goes hand-in-hand with a belief in a non-physical mind. Highlighting the importance of dualism for FWB impacts academic debates on free will, which currently largely focus on its relation to determinism. Our findings also shed light on how recent (neuro)scientific findings might impact FWB. Demonstrating physical determinism in the brain need not have a strong impact on FWB, due to a wide-spread belief in dualism.