We Do What We Think, or We Think What We Do?

Common sense teaches us that we do things based on what we think or how we feel. That is certainly true, but we don't often consider how human nature also works in the opposite direction -- that we think and feel things because our habits and activities have trained us to. According to this second view, our actions are rehearsals for the people we will become. Here are two recent scientific studies that prove that what we do can shape our thoughts and feelings, for better or worse.

Photo from website link on the right

The Lancet journal published results of a study that provided "baby bots" to teen girls in Australia. These realistic dolls were programmed to cry when they needed to be rocked, changed, or fed. The program had the exact opposite results as expected -- instead of scaring these girls away from sexual activity, the teens who received a doll were actually more likely to be sexually active, have an abortion, or give birth than the ones who did not. The scientists who ran the study were puzzled as to why, but I have my own theory: caring for the dolls was a rehearsal for being a mother. Changing diapers, feeding, and rocking the dolls prepared the girls to have their own children, so their motivation to prevent a pregnancy was lower. (In addition, the girls in the program were part of a community -- they attended sessions and support groups with others. Having a doll was in fact fun -- far from being an isolating or lonely experience.)

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

In a separate study, researchers showed that music lessons can make children less aggressive. Students in Germany who took private lessons for a year and a half were less likely to be provoked than children who studied science for the same length of time. As someone who sat through weekly piano lessons beginning at age 10, I can testify to the calming effect of one-on-one music instruction. I specifically remember thinking, around the age of 14, that I had grown much more patient in the previous year. Sitting quietly in a piano studio with a teacher for 30 minutes a week was a very different activity than anything else I did as a teenager. Concentrating in the stillness actually helped me think and read better in school.

These findings are no small thing to worship leaders and pastors. I have written about the importance of children's participation in worship, and I take these two studies as further proof that the activities in our services can and should actually shape us all into better human beings. Corporate prayer, singing, and listening make us more patient and hopeful, training us to be tuned to what God is doing in the world. Those of us responsible for leading worship need to remember the formative aspects of our services. It is important that members of the congregation actually get to do things that change them for the better.