A recent study found that those who reacted the most heavily when startled tended to be conservative.
Seriously!
Well this immediately tells you that going with the flow of time is not a strong suit for such folks,m eaning a larger amoutn of their attention is lockled up on the past.
When life looks overwhelming, or confusing, the natural instinct is to lock on to some solution, even if it isn't rational, to ward off the confusion; and hold on to it. THus are religions built and belief systems perpetrated.