The chaotic, messy, and uncontrollable factors from the real world that invade a controlled experiment and ruin its beautiful, clean data. They are everything the researchers didn't think of, couldn't control for, or actively ignored to make their study publishable. If a lab study shows that people in a quiet room perform better on puzzles, the External Variables are the screaming kids, the pounding hangover, and the constant phone notifications of real life. They are the reason why a drug that works in 100% of carefully selected mice only works in 30% of chaotic, genetically diverse, cheeseburger-eating humans.
External Variables (Scientific Research) "That study saying productivity apps change your life controlled for every Internal Variable. But they didn't account for the External Variables: your battery dying, your boss adding more work, and your cat walking across the keyboard. The lab is a lie; the External Variables are always waiting outside the door."
church hurt is where you experience a degree of distance, pain, or judgement from your church community. Essentially, you are just unable to “find your place”. This is prevalent in the Christian community, but can be extended to other religions.
Now that I am an adult I am beginning to heal from the church hurt that was inflicted on me as a child.