In a new Registered Report published in Collabra, M. Lang and R. Chvaja experimentally tested whether secular individuals would be willing to join religious groups when threatened with cooperative insecurity. The results showed that while this effect was weak in a behavioral test, a self-reported willingness to join was much stronger than anticipated.
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The study tested two theories of secularization: rationalizing worldviews and decreasing existential insecurity. Researchers used an economic game (modified Nash demand game) with 811 secular participants from the USA and Poland. Participants were randomly placed in secure or insecure environments and chose between joining normative groups with or without religious framing. Results supported the existential insecurity theory, showing participants were more likely to join religious normative groups in the insecure environment, although this effect was imprecisely estimated in the behavioral test. In the discussion, the authors interpret the results in light of conversion theories and discuss discrepancies between stated and actual behavior. |
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https://online.ucpress.edu/collabra/article/10/1/126508/204054/Mechanisms-of-Secularization-Testing-Between-the |
In a new study published in Human Nature, LEVYNA was part of a team lead by A.K. Willard, studying how witchcraft beliefs affect social norms and behaviors. Specifically, researchers investigated whether witchcraft is regarded to be motivated by envy and how this notion influences community interactions. The findings show that, while witchcraft accusations were common, they were mostly directed at persons suspected of acting out of envy.
In an ethnographic survey-based study published in the journal Religions, D. Xygalatas and P. Maňo looked at variation in motivations for ritual practice and how it relates to the socioeconomic status of respondents. The findings indicate that whereas people of lower socioeconomic standing address more immediate concerns related to material security and safety in their ritual practices, people at the other end of the socioeconomic spectrum tend to focus on the fulfillment of spiritual, social, or cultural needs.
