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The evolution of religious misbelief

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2010

Ara Norenzayan ,
Azim F. Shariff  and
Will M. Gervais
Ara Norenzayan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. ara@psych.ubc.cawww.psych.ubc.ca/~araazim@psych.ubc.cawww.psych.ubc.ca/~azimwill.gervais@gmail.com
Azim F. Shariff
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. ara@psych.ubc.cawww.psych.ubc.ca/~araazim@psych.ubc.cawww.psych.ubc.ca/~azimwill.gervais@gmail.com
Will M. Gervais
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. ara@psych.ubc.cawww.psych.ubc.ca/~araazim@psych.ubc.cawww.psych.ubc.ca/~azimwill.gervais@gmail.com
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Abstract

Inducing religious thoughts increases prosocial behavior among strangers in anonymous contexts. These effects can be explained both by behavioral priming processes as well as by reputational mechanisms. We examine whether belief in moralizing supernatural agents supplies a case for what McKay & Dennett (M&D) call evolved misbelief, concluding that they might be more persuasively seen as an example of culturally evolved misbelief.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 32 , Issue 6 , December 2009 , pp. 531 - 532
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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