In a paper published in Religion, Brain & Behavior, J. Nenadalová & D. Řezníček demonstrated that some study participants in a sensory-deprived laboratory environment sensed the presence of another person. This feeling was mostly associated with perceived uncertainty and only somewhat associated with psychological dispositions.
|
People often experience a feeling that someone or something might lurk in the dark. But what exactly is going on psychologically? Jana and Dan combined questionnaires, physiological signals, and semi-structured interviews in a laboratory experiment to explore how Czech university students and absolvents react to being placed in a dark room, while being primed with the information that someone may enter the room. The authors observed that while uncertainty was positively associated with the feeling of presence, experimental priming showed no clear associations, and the associations with psychological dispositions were mixed.
|
|
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/THWCMXSJWNQTRH8XNN5H/full?target=10.1080/2153599X.2024.2305460
|
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.
