Jul 4, 2022 08:15 PM
https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark...-we-think/
EXCERPTS: A new study published in Current Opinion in Psychology [...] According to Singh and co-author Léo Fitouchi, supernatural beliefs can control us because they bypass what they term ‘epistemic vigilance,’ or the lens through which humans evaluate the reliability of information communicated by others.
“If I tell you, for example, that a given food item is poisoned, I may be providing true and useful information or I may be trying to manipulate you to keep more food for myself,” says Fitouchi. “So, you need psychological mechanisms to evaluate whether the information other people provide is true or not.”
Both Singh and Fitouchi highlight that negatively weighted beliefs such as the threat of punishment are most likely to bypass our epistemic vigilance.
“Studies suggest that people are predisposed to believe that wrongdoers are more likely to suffer misfortunes — which is exactly what supernatural punishment beliefs claim,” informs Fitouchi. “People are also more likely to accept threatening beliefs, such as warnings against eternal damnation in hell.”
Taking this into account, Singh and Fitouchi demonstrate that supernatural punishment beliefs are especially prevalent in cultures that possess a strong social desire to control others. Typically, these cultures exhibit what the researchers term ‘cultural tightness’ — meaning they have rigid social norms.
Although this may sound bleak, their findings reveal that the belief in supernatural punishment can produce positive outcomes for society... MORE - missing details)
RELATED: Belief in hell, according to international data, is associated with reduced crime ..... UBC-led study finds beliefs about all-knowing gods fosters co-operation ..... Different views of God may influence academic cheating
EXCERPTS: A new study published in Current Opinion in Psychology [...] According to Singh and co-author Léo Fitouchi, supernatural beliefs can control us because they bypass what they term ‘epistemic vigilance,’ or the lens through which humans evaluate the reliability of information communicated by others.
“If I tell you, for example, that a given food item is poisoned, I may be providing true and useful information or I may be trying to manipulate you to keep more food for myself,” says Fitouchi. “So, you need psychological mechanisms to evaluate whether the information other people provide is true or not.”
Both Singh and Fitouchi highlight that negatively weighted beliefs such as the threat of punishment are most likely to bypass our epistemic vigilance.
“Studies suggest that people are predisposed to believe that wrongdoers are more likely to suffer misfortunes — which is exactly what supernatural punishment beliefs claim,” informs Fitouchi. “People are also more likely to accept threatening beliefs, such as warnings against eternal damnation in hell.”
Taking this into account, Singh and Fitouchi demonstrate that supernatural punishment beliefs are especially prevalent in cultures that possess a strong social desire to control others. Typically, these cultures exhibit what the researchers term ‘cultural tightness’ — meaning they have rigid social norms.
Although this may sound bleak, their findings reveal that the belief in supernatural punishment can produce positive outcomes for society... MORE - missing details)
RELATED: Belief in hell, according to international data, is associated with reduced crime ..... UBC-led study finds beliefs about all-knowing gods fosters co-operation ..... Different views of God may influence academic cheating
