LEVYNA conducted field research in Mauritius
The Grant Agency of the Masaryk University annually issues a grant call with several categories. Martin Lang and Jan Krátký succeeded in a category, which is called "E” (“Excellent results”). Its aim is to help researchers to complete publications of exceptionally high quality.
Martin and Honza succeeded in this grant call with the project called "The Entropy-Reduction Model of Ritualized Behavior". They will use it to finish a publication based on their collaborative research on the effects of ritualized behavior on anxiety. They are continuing in a good LEVYNA tradition as Jakub Cigán got the same grant last year.
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.