Science on Religion Research News
The religious profiles of American business people
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- Published: 23 February 2015
- Written by Nicholas C. DiDonato
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When people think of American business CEOs, they often think of cold-hearted, calculating individuals who will stop at nothing to maximize profits. At the same time, especially if you live in America, they may also think of the ideal American, someone who works hard in order to achieve the American dream. Perhaps somewhere in between these two extremes lies, oddly enough, entrepreneurs' religiosity. Research by sociologist Kevin D. Doughert (Baylor University) and colleagues analyzes the religious profile of American entrepreneurs, and finds that American entrepreneurs are more likely to see God as personal, to pray more frequently, and to attend churches that encourage business.
Pain binds people together, part 2
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- Published: 16 February 2015
- Written by Nicholas C. DiDonato
- Hits: 158
As seen in part one, sharing a pain experience bonds people with each other. Brock Bastian (University of New South Wales), Jolanda Jetten, and Laura J. Ferris (University of Queensland) found that, compared to groups who engage in a pleasant or neutral activity, groups that engage in a painful activity form greater levels of closeness. The researchers now want to expand these findings and determine whether this increased closeness translates into increased trust.
Pain binds people together, part 1
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- Published: 09 February 2015
- Written by Nicholas C. DiDonato
- Hits: 133
Various religions and rituals in some way involve pain. From rites of passage that include hunting on without adult guidance, to painful hooks inserted beneath tendons, pain rituals are found across cultures. Yet, also in these rituals, often people share pain together. Brock Bastian (University of New South Wales), Jolanda Jetten, and Laura J. Ferris (University of Queensland) wanted to investigate whether pain and social bonding have some sort of link together. As it turns out, shared pain correlates with greater social cohesion.
Children prefer the supernatural
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- Published: 02 February 2015
- Written by Nicholas C. DiDonato
- Hits: 179
Children (and many adults) enjoy the idea of the supernatural: from wizards to Jedi to witches in Oz, children are fascinated by the idea of human beings possessing supernatural powers. Consequently, it may not be surprising if they want to encounter these kind of supernatural humans in real life. Research by Sunae Kim (Ludwig Maximilian University, Germany) and Paul Harris (Harvard University) suggests that when children can distinguish between ordinary and extraordinary information gathering, they prefer the person who has extraordinary or supernatural access to the human mind.
Religiosity correlates with lower porn use in teens
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- Published: 26 January 2015
- Written by Nicholas C. DiDonato
- Hits: 275
Many people assume that viewing pornography is a natural part of being a teenager, but for those of a religious background this may not be so natural at all. A religious environment, through the internalization of religious ideals and social norms, could encourage different ideas about what is and is not natural and edifying. Psychologists Sam Hardy and colleagues (Brigham Young University) sought to investigate religion's relationship with pornography. Specifically, they found that religion does discourage pornography use in teenagers.
Muslim views of AIDS, part 2
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- Published: 19 January 2015
- Written by Nicholas C. DiDonato
- Hits: 231
In part 1 of this article, Jonas Svensson (Linnaeus University, Sweden) provided the theoretical background for a sensitive topic: why do Muslims tend towards interpreting the AIDS epidemic as punishment from God rather than appealing to some other explanation? As seen, he theorizes that this interpretation outcompetes its competition by being a more intuitive, powerful explanation that requires the least amount of cognitive work (thus resulting in a minimal amount of cognitive dissonance). Now Svensson must move on to the next step and test his theory.
Muslim views of AIDS, part 1
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- Published: 12 January 2015
- Written by Nicholas C. DiDonato
- Hits: 263
As scientists continue to inch closer to a cure for AIDS, people in some of the poorest parts of the world continue to struggle against the disease. With no cure availabe and with limited resources, impoverished nations can only do so much to combat AIDS. In such circumstances, it is no surprise when people turn to the supernatural for answers. Cultural scientist Jonas Svensson (Linnaeus University, Sweden) looks at Muslim responses to AIDS and tries to figure out why the “divine punishment” response is so prevalent.
Religious uncertainty correlates with greater fear of sin
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- Published: 05 January 2015
- Written by Nicholas C. DiDonato
- Hits: 323
Religious people often struggle with uncertainty. They may attend church on a regular basis, read their sacred texts, and pray daily, yet they may still have nagging doubts about their religion. Such religious uncertainty may have an unexpected side-effect: an increased fear of sin. Thomas Fergus and Wade Rowatt (both of Baylor University) found that greater uncertainty about one’s religion indeed correlates with a greater fear of sin and its consequences.
Religion undercuts how others perceive moral deeds, part 2
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- Published: 29 December 2014
- Written by Nicholas C. DiDonato
- Hits: 393
In part 1 of this two-part article, psychologist Will Gervais (University of Kentucky) discovered that people perceive a moral act as less moral if they know the person doing the act was motivated by religion. In fact, this finding extends to non-moral acts as well – if you say the reason behind someone’s action, whether moral or not, is religion, people will regard that action as less moral than if it had a secular motivation or an unknown motivation. Not satisfied with stopping at this finding, Gervais next wants to see whether religious motivation also decreases perceived responsibility in addition to perceived morality.
Religion undercuts how others perceive moral deeds, part 1
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- Published: 22 December 2014
- Written by Nicholas C. DiDonato
- Hits: 364
As noted in a few different studies, religion appears to correlate with moral behavior. While religion’s correlation with morality may be a great boon to the person on the receiving end of a good deed, and perhaps even to the good deed-doer, psychologist Will Gervais (University of Kentucky) suspects that onlookers may not look so favorably upon a religiously motivated moral act. In fact, he conducts six experiments to show how religious motivation lessens the perception of the morality of an action.
The modern economy and the decline of religion
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- Published: 15 December 2014
- Written by Nicholas C. DiDonato
- Hits: 720
As seen in Western Europe, something about the modern economy (and its success) correlates with a decline in religiosity. It appears that as the economy grows under capitalism, religion shrinks. Economists have debated why exactly this happens for over a century. In an effort to find an answer, Jochen Hirschle (University of Innsbruck, Austria) compiled data from 1970, concluding that prosperous economies provide non-religious alternatives to religious needs – hence the decline in religion.
