A study analysed the impact that illusory beliefs can have on our health behaviors and health practices. The results revealed that the stronger the belief in pseudoscientific ideas, the greater the distrust in conventional medicine and the higher the tendency to seek unvalidated therapies, which can put health and well-being at risk.

Our beliefs about health often unconsciously shape the decisions we make daily. However, not all these beliefs are based on solid scientific foundations. Some, although well-intentioned, are illusory beliefs about health, i.e., misconceptions that can lead us away from effective practices and towards choices that can harm our health.

One example is Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), whose practices can even provide well-being and relief, with harmless effects. However, the generalised rejection of approaches based on scientific evidence can pose serious health risks.

To understand how illusory health beliefs relate to the use of regular healthcare and the adoption of scientifically recommended behaviours, a team led by Andrew Denovan, with the support of the BIAL Foundation, carried out a study with 1507 participants using statistical models.

In the article “The relationship between illusory health beliefs, recommended health behaviours, and complementary and alternative medicine: An investigation across multiple time points”, published in May in the scientific journal Behavioral Sciences, the researchers from Liverpool John Moores University and Manchester Metropolitan University (UK) explain that they analysed adherence to recommended health behaviours (e.g. lifestyle, vaccinations) and trust in health professionals versus the use of CAM.

The findings revealed a clear pattern: the stronger the belief in pseudoscientific ideas, the greater the distrust of conventional medicine and the higher the tendency to seek unvalidated therapies. The study also revealed that certain factors can reduce or even suppress the intensity of this pattern. This is the case with valuing science and the perception of personal control over health, the so-called internal locus of control, which is associated with more informed decisions, greater adherence to health recommendations, and trust in health professionals, as well as a critical attitude towards pseudoscientific practices.

“It's important to bear in mind that while certain CAM approaches can offer complementary value, especially in contexts such as palliative care, rejecting conventional medicine based on scientific evidence can lead to serious consequences, such as vaccine hesitancy or the delayed important diagnoses”, emphasises Andrew Denovan.

“This was the first study to explore the predictive and mediating relationships between illusory health beliefs and health outcomes”, reveals the researcher, emphasising that “understanding these dynamics is a fundamental step towards strengthening health literacy and promoting truly informed choices”.

Learn more about the project “69/22 - Psychometric validation of a questionnaire for assessing paranormal health beliefs and statistically modelling the effects of the construct on health outcomes longitudinally” here.