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.
How do socioeconomic differences relate to intra-cultural variation in motivations for ritual participation among Mauritian Hindus? The authors interviewed 354 people of various socioeconomic backgrounds and asked them why people perform certain high- and low-cost religious rituals, and what do they gain from it. They found that lower-status individuals are primarily motivated by existential concerns like material security and safety, while higher-status individuals highlighted self-actualization, spiritual connection, and social affirmation, reflecting a more abstract engagement with religious practices that transcends immediate material concerns. The study highlights the adaptability of ritual practices to meet diverse human psychological, social, and spiritual needs and underscores the dynamic nature of culture as a distributed system.
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/15/12/1562
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 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.
