That does explain the kneeling and optional head bowing.
Got my theories on the eye-closing, but they’re centred around primal mammal submission or a capacity limitation requiring focus on one task at a time.
It’s a psychological trick that changes the mental mode towards mindfulness. Fingertips are super sensitive. Place them beneath your nostrils, with eyes closed, you become more in tune with your own breathing. The bent back wrists is a gentle stress position that stretches the arteries on the inner wrist, sending feedback to the nervous system to adjust heart rate. All these very small feedbacks help to place the person in a self-hypnotic state, which relaxes them and makes them feel good when they are done. That’s why people seem to believe that prayer makes them feel good. A study involving 3205 participants of mixed religious backgrounds concluded that I just made that all up.
Place them beneath your nostrils, with eyes closed, you become more in tune with your own breathing.
This worked, but only because I was blocking off my breathing. I think it was a classic “instructions unclear” moment lol. Elaborate?
The bent back wrists is a gentle stress position that stretches the arteries on the inner wrist, sending feedback to the nervous system to adjust heart rate.
Is there a particular reason they do this? 🙏
Is it to make sure they don’t get their palms licked by someone while their eyes are randomly shut?
Anthropologically it’s thought to originate from a gesture of homage to a societal superior (which would also include kneeling)
In the religion you see a variety of explanations. Some are mundane, like it’s just to stop you fidgeting.
That does explain the kneeling and optional head bowing.
Got my theories on the eye-closing, but they’re centred around primal mammal submission or a capacity limitation requiring focus on one task at a time.
It’s like holding an invisible megaphone so invisible sky man can hear you better.
It’s a psychological trick that changes the mental mode towards mindfulness. Fingertips are super sensitive. Place them beneath your nostrils, with eyes closed, you become more in tune with your own breathing. The bent back wrists is a gentle stress position that stretches the arteries on the inner wrist, sending feedback to the nervous system to adjust heart rate. All these very small feedbacks help to place the person in a self-hypnotic state, which relaxes them and makes them feel good when they are done. That’s why people seem to believe that prayer makes them feel good. A study involving 3205 participants of mixed religious backgrounds concluded that I just made that all up.
This worked, but only because I was blocking off my breathing. I think it was a classic “instructions unclear” moment lol. Elaborate?
This one I get and is true.