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Moralistic gods, supernatural punishment and the expansion of human sociality

Author

Listed:
  • Benjamin Grant Purzycki

    (Centre for Human Evolution, Cognition, and Culture, University of British Columbia)

  • Coren Apicella

    (University of Pennsylvania, Solomon Laboratories)

  • Quentin D. Atkinson

    (University of Auckland, Human Sciences Building
    Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History)

  • Emma Cohen

    (Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford
    Wadham College, University of Oxford)

  • Rita Anne McNamara

    (University of British Columbia)

  • Aiyana K. Willard

    (Culture, and Development Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station #A8000)

  • Dimitris Xygalatas

    (University of Connecticut
    Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University
    LEVYNA, Masaryk University)

  • Ara Norenzayan

    (University of British Columbia)

  • Joseph Henrich

    (University of British Columbia
    University of British Columbia
    Harvard University)

Abstract

Using economic games, the authors examine the role of religion in the persistence of human cooperation; individuals who claim that their gods are moralizing, punitive and knowledgeable about human affairs are more likely to play fairly towards geographically distant co-religionists.

Suggested Citation

  • Benjamin Grant Purzycki & Coren Apicella & Quentin D. Atkinson & Emma Cohen & Rita Anne McNamara & Aiyana K. Willard & Dimitris Xygalatas & Ara Norenzayan & Joseph Henrich, 2016. "Moralistic gods, supernatural punishment and the expansion of human sociality," Nature, Nature, vol. 530(7590), pages 327-330, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:530:y:2016:i:7590:d:10.1038_nature16980
    DOI: 10.1038/nature16980
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Pierre O. Jacquet & Farid Pazhoohi & Charles Findling & Hugo Mell & Coralie Chevallier & Nicolas Baumard, 2021. "Predictive modeling of religiosity, prosociality, and moralizing in 295,000 individuals from European and non-European populations," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Hajikhameneh, Aidin & Iannaccone, Laurence R., 2023. "God games: An experimental study of uncertainty, superstition, and cooperation," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 88-116.
    3. Oded Galor & Marc Klemp & Daniel C. Wainstock, 2023. "The Impact of the Prehistoric Out-of-Africa Migration on Cultural Diversity," CESifo Working Paper Series 10379, CESifo.
    4. Thi Minh Tam Ta & Aron Zieger & Georg Schomerus & Tien Duc Cao & Michael Dettling & Xuan Tinh Do & Aditya Mungee & Albert Diefenbacher & Matthias C Angermeyer & Eric Hahn, 2016. "Influence of urbanity on perception of mental illness stigma: a population based study in urban and rural Hanoi, Vietnam," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 62(8), pages 685-695, December.
    5. Valencia Caicedo, Felipe & Dohmen, Thomas & Pondorfer, Andreas, 2023. "Religion and cooperation across the globe," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 215(C), pages 479-489.
    6. Benjamin Enke, 2019. "Kinship, Cooperation, and the Evolution of Moral Systems," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 134(2), pages 953-1019.
    7. Grace, David & Jeuland, Marc, 2018. "Preferences for Attributes of Sacred Groves and Temples along an Urbanization Gradient in the National Capital Region of India," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 322-335.
    8. Mitkidis, Panagiotis & Ayal, Shahar & Shalvi, Shaul & Heimann, Katrin & Levy, Gabriel & Kyselo, Miriam & Wallot, Sebastian & Ariely, Dan & Roepstorff, Andreas, 2017. "The effects of extreme rituals on moral behavior: The performers-observers gap hypothesis," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 1-7.
    9. Luke Barber & Michael Jetter & Tim Krieger, 2023. "Foreshadowing Mars: Religiosity and Pre-Enlightenment Warfare," CESifo Working Paper Series 10806, CESifo.
    10. Benjamin Enke, 2018. "Kinship Systems, Cooperation, and the Evolution of Culture," CESifo Working Paper Series 6867, CESifo.
    11. Kaše, Vojtěch, 2018. "The Emergence of Big Gods in the Ancient Mediterranean," SocArXiv 3tjb7, Center for Open Science.
    12. Will M. Gervais & Michiel van Elk & Dimitris Xygalatas & Ryan T. McKay & Mark Aveyard & Emma E. Buchtel & Ilan Dar-Nimrod & Eva Kundtová Klocová & Jonathan E. Ramsay & Tapani Riekki & Annika M. Sved, 2018. "Analytic atheism: A cross-culturally weak and fickle phenomenon?," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 13(3), pages 268-274, May.
    13. Jeanet Sinding Bentzen & Gunes Gokmen, 2023. "The power of religion," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 45-78, March.
    14. Henning, Karla & Vollan, Björn & Balafoutas, Loukas, 2022. "Religious worship and discrimination," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 91-102.
    15. repec:cup:judgdm:v:13:y:2018:i:3:p:268-274 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Karim Khan & Muhsin Ali, 2020. "Conflict and Religious Preferences: Evidence from a Civil Conflict in Pakistan," PIDE-Working Papers 2020:15, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.
    17. von der Leyen Victoria, 2019. "Religion als Anreiz für Kooperation," Journal for Markets and Ethics, Sciendo, vol. 7(1), pages 35-49, June.
    18. Lina Mao & Chongluan Lu & Guangfan Sun & Chunyan Zhang & Changwei Guo, 2024. "Regional culture and corporate finance: a literature review," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.
    19. Frank van Tubergen1,2, & Yuliya Kosyakova & Agnieszka Kanas, 2022. "Conflict intensity in the region of birth increases religiosity among refugees," RF Berlin - CReAM Discussion Paper Series 2222, Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RF Berlin) - Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM).
    20. Loren Pauwels & Carolyn H. Declerck & Christophe Boone, 2017. "Watching Eyes and Living up to Expectations: Unkind, Not Kind, Eyes Increase First Mover Cooperation in a Sequential Prisoner’s Dilemma," Games, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-13, April.
    21. Harwick, Cameron, 2018. "Money and its institutional substitutes: the role of exchange institutions in human cooperation," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(4), pages 689-714, August.
    22. Burton-Chellew, Maxwell, 2022. "The restart effect in social dilemmas shows humans are self-interested not altruistic," SocArXiv hgznu, Center for Open Science.
    23. Li, Ya & Chen, Shanxiong & Niu, Ben, 2018. "Reward depending on public funds stimulates cooperation in spatial prisoner’s dilemma games," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 38-45.
    24. Jori Breslawski & Colin Tucker, 2022. "Ideological motives and taxation by armed groups," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 39(3), pages 333-350, May.

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