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Big Gods: Extended prosociality or group binding?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 March 2016

Luke W. Galen
Luke W. Galen*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI 49401. galenl@gvsu.eduhttp://gvsu.edu/psychology/luke-galen-110.htm
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Abstract

Big Gods are described as having a “prosocial” effect. However, this conflates parochialism (group cohesion) with cooperation extended to strangers or out-group members. An examination of the cited experimental studies indicates that religion is actually associated with increased within-group parochialism, rather than extended or universal prosociality, and that the same general mechanisms underlie both religious and secular effects.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 39 , 2016 , e13
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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