My thoughts on why people pray, or think they can do faith healing, is that they want to feel like they have control over the world around them otherwise it's too scary. A lot of human activity comes down to the perception of control and trying to get it back. Stress comes from not being in control.
In a way it's like porn or drugs, a shortcut to getting the sense of reward without putting in the effort. A person knows that they are just looking at a still image rather than a real live person but it still turns them on. Narcotic drugs make use of existing neurochemical mechanisms evolved to allow us to function properly. Praying alleviates stress by giving the illusion of control without doing anything costly. Faith healing exploits people's pack instincts and gives people a sense of reward by making them feel valuable as pack members.
It allows people to freeload because they feel that they are contributing when in reality they aren't.
In a way it's like porn or drugs, a shortcut to getting the sense of reward without putting in the effort. A person knows that they are just looking at a still image rather than a real live person but it still turns them on. Narcotic drugs make use of existing neurochemical mechanisms evolved to allow us to function properly. Praying alleviates stress by giving the illusion of control without doing anything costly. Faith healing exploits people's pack instincts and gives people a sense of reward by making them feel valuable as pack members.
It allows people to freeload because they feel that they are contributing when in reality they aren't.
