The placebo effect of certainty

[_floatingboy]

Something I've often wondered and speculated about is the peacefulness that comes along with thinking you're in the right. I see being "in the right" as having a dual nature: thinking that you have the answers, and feeling that your actions more or less comport with said answers. The more answers you think you have, the more confident and sure you are. The more you live in line with what you think is right, the more at peace you feel. This is the best explanation that I have come up with to explain why many religious people feel at peace, but do not have a monopoly on it. I have a good many areligious friends who have a code that they stick to, and you can see how at peace they are. This code may even completely ignore if not eschew what other people hold dear.

I am thinking of this right now because I just read an article on NPR about the role of serotonin in depression, and that drugs like prozac, while they have positive effects, may not be getting at the source of depression. At the end of the article, a researcher who doubts the role of serotonin deficiency in depression makes this observation about why he thinks serotonin therapy is effective:

"When you feel that you understand it [the source of your depression], a lot of the stress levels dramatically are reduced," he says. "So stress, hormones and a lot of biological factors change."

Just thought this was an interesting confirmation of my "theory", coming from a different, unexpected angle. I'm interested to hear others' thoughts on this.

Article link:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/01 ... h_stcathdl