What is animistic bias in psychology?

 

Also known as the animistic fallacy, this refers to a cognitive bias that causes people to believe that even naturally occurring phenomena are the result of a conscious force. Psychologists believe that the animistic bias is what causes many people across different cultures to believe that the universe must be the creation of a supernatural god. Some have even argued that evolutionary pressures may have shaped the human brain in such a way that it attaches conscious intentions to many things that simply occur in nature. While this causes unnecessary paranoia, it may have also increased the chances of survival of human ancestors.