Sin is not just behaviors we outwardly perform, but an inner desire of the will for the ungodly that contaminates our thoughts and emotions down to even an unconscious level (Jeremiah 17:9). Our natural man does not acknowledge God in his thoughts which leads to self-defeating futility (Ecclesiastes 1:14). This is the noetic effect of sin: our thoughts are endlessly tainted, such that even our thoughts about our thoughts are tainted, and we cannot fix the problem ourselves, we need God to tell us what it is and what to do about it (1 Cor 2:14). Examples of noetic effects would be forgetfulness, being illogical, disinterest, etc. Often considered to be simple “weaknesses” we are victims of, the Bible teaches that they are a result of us not choosing God (1 John 1:5). More obvious noetic sins we could label “intellectual dishonesty” such as double standards (Proverbs 11:1), emotional tone deafness (Romans 12:15), and intellectual pride (Romans 2:1).
As it pertains to secular psychology, it is able to make many notable contributions to humanity, such as B.F. Skinner’s study of operant conditioning, (1) or Milgram’s infamous shock experiments studying how people respond to authority. (2) However, this is in spite of their willful rejection of God, not because of it. When an unbeliever is accomplishing good things it is a result of common grace and the image of God they unwittingly reflect, because they are affirming Biblical truth such as the value of hard work (Proverbs 14:23), kindness (Proverbs 11:17), or the glory to be found in God’s creation (Psalms 19:1), but their sense of ultimate concern regarding such truth runs amiss, and unfortunately detracts from what the accomplishment could have been.
Therefore when it comes to the extrapolations and prescriptions these psychologists recommend, we cannot expect it to be useful relative to the Bible. Some of what they say will align with God’s word, but there will be enough noetic contamination in their thoughts that holistically what they have to say is useless. While Shawn Achor may be able to help people find more happiness and become more successful, he can only help people happily and successfully end up in Hell. A secular patient going to a secular therapist using secular methods may find relief for their symptoms, but will never understand the eternal destruction they are suffering from. They will become like whitewashed sepulchers that look good on the outside, but are dead and death-spreading on the inside. As a result, such band-aid treatment may appear to fix problems, but given enough time they will manifest in other places because their need for God has been left untreated. (Romans 1:20-22, 1 Cor 1:18-29, 3:18-20)
(1) https://youtu.be/I_ctJqjlrHA
(2) https://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html
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