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Recognizing religion's dark side: Religious ritual increases antisociality and hinders self-control

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 March 2016

Nicholas M. Hobson  and
Michael Inzlicht
Nicholas M. Hobson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4 Canada. nick.hobson@utoronto.ca michael.inzlicht@utoronto.ca www.michaelinzlicht.com
Michael Inzlicht
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4 Canada. nick.hobson@utoronto.ca michael.inzlicht@utoronto.ca www.michaelinzlicht.com
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Abstract

The target article develops an account of religious prosociality that is driven by increases in self-control. We suggest this account is incomplete. Although religion might increase prosociality to the in-group, it decreases it to the much larger out-group. Rituals, for example, lead to out-group derogation. We also challenge the link between religion and improved self-control, offering evidence that religion hinders self-control.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 39 , 2016 , e14
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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