- Imagine there’s no religionImagine there’s no heaven.It’s easy if you try. -John Lennon Actually, it’s not that easy to picture a world without people believing in heaven and […]
- Can we trust Psychology? Pt. 4A Theory Problem When we’re thinking about why the replication crisis occurred, it’s easy to focus on the pervasive methodological and statistical issues in psychology. […]
- Reflecting on the Scientific Study of Religion After Nearly a Decade of Religion, Brain & BehaviorA decade ago, Religion, Brain & Behavior (RBB) was still a dream in the minds of its founding editors, neuroscientist Patrick McNamara, anthropologist Richard Sosis, […]
- Can we trust Psychology? Pt. 3The social side of psychology I’ve been talking about the replication crisis in pretty abstract terms, but it’s important to remember that there are people […]
- Can we trust Psychology? Pt. 2The beauty of a theoretical mess The last post was a brief overview of the replication crisis. If you haven’t already, check it out here. […]
- Can we trust Psychology? Pt. 1What is the replication crisis and why did it happen? If you haven’t already heard – there’s a replication crisis going on in psychology. At […]
- ScienceOnReligion.org 2.0Welcome to the newly refurbished ScienceOnReligion.org! The entire site has been revamped for a whole new look. We’re excited to be adding new content as […]
- Is the media fueling global conflict?Journalists don’t make the news – they just report it, right? Not so fast. Anthropologist Scott Atran believes that radical Islamic terrorists use the Western […]
- Study finds sadomasochism evokes spiritual experiencesReligious devotees endure torturous scenarios for the warm embrace of human connection. Some kneel and stand repeatedly to please their priest and fellow congregants. Others […]
- Religion affects our behavior by shaping neural rewardsIf I were to offer you $50 today or the chance to wait four months for $70, which would you take? The way you answer […]
- Thinking analytically, accepting evolutionIt sometimes seems like evolution and religion have had a bad relationship almost from the start. In 1874, the Princeton theologian Charles Hodge asked, “What […]
- Psychologists write about “bullshit”Anyone who’s been to the West Coast or visited hippie towns like Covington, VT or Asheville, NC has undoubtedly heard some version of the New […]
- Is Hindu worship just helicopter parenting?Freud famously hypothesized that the Judeo-Christian God is a psychological projection of nagging parental issues. Thomas B. Ellis of Appalachian State University in North Carolina […]
- Ominous moods may improve ritual performanceTo the uninitiated, religious ritual seems like frivolous play-acting. Priests and acolytes follow obscure rules and manipulate symbolic objects, similar to team sports like soccer, […]
- An ambitious theory of humility, compassion, and divine gratitudeReligiosity is correlated with many different psychological states and behaviors, such as empathy and generosity, or exclusivity and violence. However, the causal connections between belief, […]
- BREAKING NEWS: Religious children don’t share stickersMany people believe that religion teaches children to be just and moral. Even if adherents dispense with the unscientific dogma, there’s a lingering sense that […]
- Empty nests and empty pews: Church affiliation declines after high schoolStep into any church on Sunday morning and you’ll most likely find a congregation split into two distinct groups: parents with their children and cotton-topped […]
- Woe unto the weird: Majorities tend to be spitefulBill Moyers once quipped, “Civilization is a thin veneer of agreeable behavior stretched across the passions of the human heart.” Among the most persistent of […]
- How to win friends through music and religionIt’s your first semester. Campus is crawling with nameless strangers. Totally invisible, you scan the chattering chaos – in a lame attempt to seem undaunted, […]
- God’s forgiveness makes you okay with your peccadillosThe anterior cingulate cortex, or ACC, is tucked deep within the brain behind the frontal lobe, and its job is to make sure that reality […]