DOCSLIB.ORG

The Behavioral Immune System Shapes Political

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Behavioral Immune System Shapes Political American Political Science Review (2017) 111, 2, 277–294 doi:10.1017/S0003055416000770 c American Political Science Association 2017 ⃝ The Behavioral Immune System Shapes Political Intuitions: Why and How Individual Differences in Disgust Sensitivity Underlie Opposition to Immigration LENE AARØE University of Aarhus MICHAEL BANG PETERSEN University of Aarhus KEVIN ARCENEAUX Temple University epresent,test,andextendatheoreticalframeworkthatconnectsdisgust,apowerfulbasic human emotion, to political attitudes through psychological mechanisms designed to protect W humans from disease. These mechanisms work outside of conscious awareness, and in modern environments, they can motivate individuals to avoid intergroup contact by opposing immigration. We report a meta-analysis of previous tests in the psychological sciences and conduct, for the first time, a series of tests in nationally representative samples collected in the United States and Denmark that integrate the role of disgust and the behavioral immune system into established models of emotional processing and political attitude formation. In doing so, we offer an explanation for why peaceful integration and interaction between ethnic majority and minorities is so hard to achieve. onventional models of political decision-making inally presented images, for instance, the emotional implicitly assume that citizens form opinions states that they cause influence unrelated decisions C about politics through conscious thought. Even (Brooks et al., 2012). if political attitudes ultimately derive from deep emo- These insights have just begun making inroads into tional attachments to group loyalties developed early political science. Extraneous stimuli, such as music em- in life (Campbell et al. 1960), people nonetheless con- bedded in advertising or images presented outside of sciously survey the considerations that are at the “top conscious awareness, can induce emotional reactions of their heads” at the moment of making a decision that influence political attitudes and evaluations (e.g., (Zaller 1992). The past two decades of research in the Albertson and Gadarian 2015;BanksandValentino neurosciences challenges this simple and intuitive as- 2012;Brader2006;LodgeandTaber2013). From sumption. Much of human decision-making takes place the perspective of conventional models of political outside of conscious awareness (Bargh and Chartrand decision-making, these findings seem like parlor game 1999). The brain nonconsciously processes informa- tricks that fail to capture how people actually form po- tion, automatically imbuing it with emotional content, litical attitudes. Perhaps in a laboratory, the argument allowing only a fraction to reach conscious awareness. could go, people act in strange ways, but automatic pro- Even though people are unaware of “seeing” sublim- cesses should have less influence in real world settings where people have the time and space to engage in conscious reflection. Lene Aarøe is Associate Professor of Political Science, Univer- sity of Aarhus, Bartholins Alle´ 7, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark However, once we consider that the automatic pro- ([email protected]). cesses in the human mind evolved well before con- Michael Bang Petersen is Professor of Political Science, Uni- scious cognition, it makes sense that the brain should versity of Aarhus, Bartholins Alle´ 7, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark be quite capable of making complex and important ([email protected]). Kevin Arceneaux is Professor of Political Science, Temple Univer- life-and-death decisions without needing input from sity, 453 Gladfelter Hall, 1115 Polett Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19122 the conscious mind. Indeed, from this perspective, the ([email protected]). automatic processes’ speed and ability to continually Acknowledgements: The research reported in this article was scan the environment are crucial (e.g., Gray 1987). made possible by funding from the Danish Council for Indepen- Over the course of human evolution, the mind was dent Research, the Velux Foundation and the Temple University Behavioral Foundations Lab. The authors would like to acknowl- endowed with many specialized mechanisms designed edge the helpful guidance and advice received from Ted Brader, to deal with recurring threats faced by our ancestors Ryan Enos, Stanley Feldman, John Hibbing, Leonie Huddy, Cindy (Barkow, Cosmides, and Tooby 1992;Cesarioetal. Kam, Robert Kurzban, Richard Lau, Mark Schaller, Jim Sidanius, 2010; Petersen 2015). Because different threats often Kevin Smith, Joshua Tybur, Nicholas Valentino, participants at the Interacting Minds Seminars at Aarhus University, participants in the require unique responses, these mechanisms use differ- American Politics Colloquium at Temple University, participants at ent emotional states—anxiety, disgust, jealousy, etc.— the Human Evolution Lunch Lecture at the Centre for Biocultural to motivate different behaviors (Cottrell and Neuberg History at Aarhus University, participants at Evolutionary Psychol- 2005). In modern democratic societies, a key function ogy Laboratory at Harvard University, participants at the Working of government is to enact policies that provide secu- Group in Political Psychology and Behavior at Harvard University, the anonymous reviewers, as well as APSR co-editors Valerie J. rity and safety from external threats. Thus, there is Martinez-Ebers and Ingo Rohlfing. We are grateful to Dan Nguyen, reason to expect that the deep-seated evolved mecha- Klaus Juul and Julie Joenson for their research assistance. nisms that helped our ancestors defend against threats Received: June 12, 2015; revised: December 7, 2016; accepted: also influence current-day policy preferences (Petersen December 12, 2016. 2015). .AA477CAD645C7:AC:6AC34D:A2CD16AAA076 1/ADA,C4D56A-45C7:-ACCDAD44454277 D645C7:AC:6ACCDD7AAC:1 Lene Aarøe, Michael Bang Petersen, and Kevin Arceneaux In this article, we demonstrate the effects of an im- shapes immigration attitudes (e.g., Faulkner et al. 2004, portant specialized set of mechanisms designed to pro- Green et al. 2010,NavarreteandFessler2006)through tect humans from threats caused by pathogens: the be- ameta-analysis,uncoveringanumberofempiricaland havioral immune system (e.g., Schaller 2006). The be- theoretical gaps. Third, we address these gaps through a havioral component of the immune system works out- suite of observational and experimental studies drawn side conscious awareness (Tybur et al. 2013)anduses from nationally representative samples in the United feelings of disgust to motivate avoidance of potentially States and Denmark. We find consistent evidence that infected objects and people (e.g., Schaller and Neuberg the behavioral immune system shapes immigration at- 2012). Because pathogens can be lethal but extremely titudes over and beyond standard explanations in ex- hard to detect, the behavioral immune system evolved tant political science models: education, ideology, and to be hypervigilant against unfamiliar stimuli, including economic interests. Finally, we consider the broader unfamiliar individuals. In the evolved mind, we argue, implications of the notion that unconscious pathogen- differences in appearance (such as the color of one’s avoidance motivations lead some people to adopt par- skin) are intuitively misinterpreted as cues of infectious ticular political attitudes. Specifically, we demonstrate, diseases, rather than harmless differences in levels of for the first time, how individual differences in the melanin. As the history of institutionalized racial segre- propensity to feel disgust frustrate standard social sci- gation and current day opposition to immigration show, ence approaches to facilitating acceptance of ethnic public discourse readily associates contamination risk differences. We conclude by discussing how the behav- with outgroups, seeking to separate supposedly un- ioral immune system may generate ideological belief clean outgroups from the clean (or “pure”) ingroup. systems that cut across the constraints generated by We investigate the political implications of the be- dominant elite discourse. havioral immune system’s hypervigilance by studying its effect on opposition to immigration. We focus on im- migration, because it is one of the most divisive issues in Western democracies today (e.g., Brader, Valentino, THE BEHAVIORAL IMMUNE SYSTEM AND and Suhay 2008;Citrinetal.1997; Malhotra et al. DISGUST 2013;Snidermanetal.2004). Indeed, the rise of anti- immigration candidates and parties is fundamentally Disease constitutes a fundamental threat to human reshaping the political landscapes in both the United fitness, and the immune system is our most complex States and Europe. In particular, we argue that indi- physiological system dedicated to the challenge of de- viduals with sensitive behavioral immune systems (i.e., fending against pathogens. What may perhaps be less those who are prone to experience disgust) uncon- appreciated is that over the course of evolution, hu- sciously tag immigrants as bearers of pathogens and ex- mans also developed a behavioral immune system at perience strong motivations to avoid them. In building the psychological level that continuously scans for po- this theoretical claim, we incorporate disgust and the tential pathogen threats (e.g., infected food, objects, or behavioral immune system into the standard political people) outside of cognitive awareness and, upon de- science models of emotional processing. These models tection, motivates individuals to take precautions that
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Pathogens, Personality, and Culture: Disease Prevalence Predicts Worldwide Variability in Sociosexuality, Extraversion, and Openness to Experience
    Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Copyright 2008 by the American Psychological Association 2008, Vol. 95, No. 1, 212–221 0022-3514/08/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.95.1.212 Pathogens, Personality, and Culture: Disease Prevalence Predicts Worldwide Variability in Sociosexuality, Extraversion, and Openness to Experience Mark Schaller and Damian R. Murray University of British Columbia Previous research has documented cross-cultural differences in personality traits, but the origins of those differences remain unknown. The authors investigate the possibility that these cultural differences can be traced, in part, to regional differences in the prevalence in infectious diseases. Three specific hypotheses are deduced, predicting negative relationships between disease prevalence and (a) unrestricted sociosex- uality, (b) extraversion, and (c) openness to experience. These hypotheses were tested empirically with methods that employed epidemiological atlases in conjunction with personality data collected from individuals in dozens of countries worldwide. Results were consistent with all three hypotheses: In regions that have historically suffered from high levels of infectious diseases, people report lower mean levels of sociosexuality, extraversion, and openness. Alternative explanations are addressed, and possible underlying mechanisms are discussed. Keywords: culture, disease prevalence, extraversion, openness to experience, sociosexuality People’s personalities differ, and some of that individual vari- For example, Schmitt (2005) and his collaborators in the Inter- ability is geographically clumped. But why is that so? How are we national Sexuality Description Project assessed worldwide vari- to understand the origins of regional differences in personality? A ability in chronic tendencies toward either a “restricted” or “unre- complete response to that question will surely require attention to stricted” sociosexual style.
    [Show full text]
  • Connecting the Behavioral Immune System to Its Physiological Foundations
    fpsyg-10-00200 February 11, 2019 Time: 14:49 # 1 PERSPECTIVE published: 07 February 2019 doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00200 PsychoBehavioroimmunology: Connecting the Behavioral Immune System to Its Physiological Foundations Damian R. Murray*, Marjorie L. Prokosch and Zachary Airington Department of Psychology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, United States Although infectious disease has posed a significant and persistent threat to human survival and welfare throughout history, only recently have the psychological and behavioral implications of disease threat become a topic of research within the behavioral sciences. This growing body of work has revealed a suite of affective and cognitive processes that motivate the avoidance of disease-causing objects and situations—a cascade of processes loosely conceptualized as a “behavioral immune system (BIS).” Recent BIS research has linked disease threat to a surprisingly broad set Edited by: of psychological and behavioral phenomena. However, research examining how the BIS Kazunori Iwasa, is nested within our broader physiology is only beginning to emerge. Here, we review Shujitsu University, Japan research that has begun to elucidate the physiological foundations of the BIS—at the Reviewed by: levels of sensory modalities, cells, and genes. We also discuss the future of this work. Hideki Ohira, Nagoya University, Japan Keywords: behavioral immune system, psychoneuroimmunology, health, immune system regulation, social Fulvio D’Acquisto, cognition University of Roehampton, United Kingdom *Correspondence: PSYCHOBEHAVIOROIMMUNOLOGY: CONNECTING THE Damian R. Murray BEHAVIORAL IMMUNE SYSTEM TO ITS PHYSIOLOGICAL [email protected] FOUNDATIONS Specialty section: This article was submitted to The threat posed by infectious disease throughout human evolution has likely caused more deaths Evolutionary Psychology, than all other causes of mortality combined (e.g., Inhorn and Brown, 1990).
    [Show full text]
  • Memory Bang for the Attentional Buck
    Social Psychological and Personality Science 1(2) 182-189 More Memory Bang for the Attentional ª The Author(s) 2010 Reprints and permission: Buck: Self-Protection Goals Enhance sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1948550609359202 Encoding Efficiency for Potentially http://spps.sagepub.com Threatening Males D. Vaughn Becker1, Uriah S. Anderson1, Steven L. Neuberg1, Jon K. Maner2, Jenessa R. Shapiro3, Joshua M. Ackerman4, Mark Schaller5, and Douglas T. Kenrick1 Abstract When encountering individuals with a potential inclination to harm them, people face a dilemma: Staring at them provides useful information about their intentions but may also be perceived by them as intrusive and challenging—thereby increasing the likelihood of the very threat the people fear. One solution to this dilemma would be an enhanced ability to efficiently encode such individuals—to be able to remember them without spending any additional direct attention on them. In two experiments, the authors primed self-protective concerns in perceivers and assessed visual attention and recognition memory for a variety of faces. Consistent with hypotheses, self-protective participants (relative to control participants) exhibited enhanced encoding efficiency (i.e., greater memory not predicated on any enhancement of visual attention) for Black and Arab male faces— groups stereotyped as being potentially dangerous—but not for female or White male faces. Results suggest that encoding efficiency depends on the functional relevance of the social information people encounter. Keywords encoding, memory, visual attention, threat, evolutionary psychology If you spent an hour people watching in a large city, which of second line of research builds on the premise that there are fun- the many passersby would you later be able to identify? Com- damental, recurring problems that humans have long faced and mon sense suggests that the faces you looked at longer would that evolved motivational systems manage these challenges by be better remembered.
    [Show full text]
  • Activating the Biological and Behavioral Immune Systems Julia Christensen Hamline University
    Hamline University DigitalCommons@Hamline Departmental Honors Projects College of Liberal Arts Spring 2015 Activating the Biological and Behavioral Immune Systems Julia Christensen Hamline University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/dhp Part of the Biological Psychology Commons, and the Cognitive Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Christensen, Julia, "Activating the Biological and Behavioral Immune Systems" (2015). Departmental Honors Projects. 37. https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/dhp/37 This Honors Project is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Liberal Arts at DigitalCommons@Hamline. It has been accepted for inclusion in Departmental Honors Projects by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Hamline. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Running head: ACTIVATING THE BEHAVIORAL IMMUNE SYSTEM 1 Activating the Biological and Behavioral Immune Systems Julia M. Christensen Hamline University ACTIVATING THE BEHAVIORAL IMMUNE SYSTEM 2 Abstract Psychology recognizes two distinct facets of the immune system: the biological immune system (BIO), covering all processes of the typical immune system, and the behavioral immune system (BEH), a set of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses to environmental stimuli. Research on this dual immune system indicates that each is capable of influencing the other (Schaller & Park, 2011). For example, perception of illness in others can activate the sympathetic nervous system ( Schaller, Miller, Gervais, Yager, & Chen, 2010 ). Furthermore, evidence suggests that these two systems are capable of influencing moral judgment (Inbar, Pizarro, & Bloom, 2008). This study aims to further the overall understanding of the BEH and the manner in which it influences the BIO. Participants were recruited from college psychology courses in exchange for extra credit.
    [Show full text]
  • Clark Fessler BIS Paper
    UCLA UCLA Previously Published Works Title Recontextualizing the behavioral immune system within psychoneuroimmunology Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6s57p910 Authors Clark, Jason A. Fessler, Daniel M.T. Publication Date 2014 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Recontextualizing the Behavioral Immune System Jason A. Clark Daniel M.T. Fessler Recontextualizing the Behavioral Immune System within Psychoneuroimmunology (Paper accepted For publication in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences) Introduction The concept oF the behavioral immune system (BIS) picks out an important set oF phenomena, viz., the relationships between the immune system and psychological mechanisms that manage the threat oF disease, and research using the concept makes valuable and novel contributions to the larger Field. However, our enthusiasm is tempered by the recognition that (a) there are ambiguities in the BIS concept and it has been used in a variety oF (sometimes inconsistent) ways, (b) some oF phenomena it has identiFied are already well characterized in other disciplines that have received inadequate attention by BIS researchers, and that (c) these disciplines oFFer a broader theoretical contextualization oF these phenomena. We argue that the BIS should be recontextualized within and integrated with such research programs. More speciFically, we believe that the BIS should be set within the Framework of psychoneuroimmunology. While neuroimmunology encompasses both peripheral and central nervous systems, and psychoimmunology Focuses on the interactions between speciFically psychological variables and immune Function, psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) highlights the contributions oF the central 1 Recontextualizing the Behavioral Immune System nervous system, and the ways in which the brain mediates interactions between psychology and the immune system.
    [Show full text]
  • Preferences Under Pressure
    Eric Skoog Preferences Under Pressure Conflict, Threat Cues and Willingness to Compromise Dissertation presented at Uppsala University to be publicly examined in Zootissalen, EBC, Villavägen 9, Uppsala, Friday, 13 March 2020 at 10:15 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The examination will be conducted in English. Faculty examiner: Associate Professor Thomas Zeitzoff (American University, School of Public Affairs). Abstract Skoog, E. 2020. Preferences Under Pressure. Conflict, Threat Cues and Willingness to Compromise. Report / Department of Peace and Conflict Research 121. 66 pp. Uppsala: Department of Peace and Conflict Research. ISBN 978-91-506-2805-0. Understanding how preferences are formed is a key question in the social sciences. The ability of agents to interact with each other is a prerequisite for well-functioning societies. Nevertheless, the process whereby the preferences of agents in conflict are formed have often been black boxed, and the literature on the effects of armed conflict on individuals reveals a great variation in terms of outcomes. Sometimes, individuals are willing to cooperate and interact even with former enemies, while sometimes, we see outright refusal to cooperate or interact at all. In this dissertation, I look at the role of threat in driving some of these divergent results. Armed conflict is rife with physical threats to life, limb and property, and there has been much research pointing to the impact of threat on preferences, attitudes and behavior. Research in the field of evolutionary psychology has revealed that threat is not a singular category, but a nuanced phenomenon, where different types of threat may lead to different responses.
    [Show full text]
  • An Introduction to Threat-Heuristic Theory Marika Landau-Wells June 18, 2018 Version
    Old Solutions to New Problems: An Introduction to Threat-Heuristic Theory Marika Landau-Wells June 18, 2018 version Abstract The world is a dangerous place. This adage underlies many of the justifications for government. At a more granular level, protecting citizens from potential dangers serves as the justification for many of the measures governments undertake in the domains of foreign and domestic policy. Despite the relevance of danger writ large as a motivating force for outcomes of interest, political science has not yet interrogated the domain of dangers as a coherent space within which to study political preferences, attitudes and behaviors. In this paper, I develop Threat-Heuristic Theory (THT), a new individual-level model of the psychological processes connecting the detection of danger to preferences for reducing that danger through political action. I provide an extensive review of the threat perception literature in biology and cognitive science on which the theory is built. I argue that THT’s model is general enough to apply across the space of dangers writ large and that its mechanisms are species-typical and so apply both to ordinary citizens and to political elites. I also present observational and experimental data from two original surveys to support: (1) THT’s core concept of threat classification; (2) the distinctiveness of threat classification from other relevant constructs, including disposition and political ideology; and (3) the existence of a set of issue areas where THT is likely to outperform existing theories linking threat perception to political behavior. I show that this set includes topics of current relevance, including immigration, fundamentalism, and climate change.
    [Show full text]
  • Alec T. Beall
    Alec Beall Curriculum Vitae 1 CURRICULUM VITAE ALEC T. BEALL UBC Department of Psychology email: [email protected] 2136 West Mall (Office: 2206) phone: (604) 551.6915 Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 website: www.AlecBeall.com FOCUS OF RESEARCH Evolutionary psychology, social psychology and sexual attractiveness. My research goal is to further scholarly knowledge of human attraction, social judgment and mate selection. My love of evolutionary psychology and emotion expression will continue to guide my endeavors in these areas. Specific project information and research interests available at: http://www.alecbeall.com EDUCATION Ph.D. The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., (expected 2016) Social/Personality Psychology Supervisors: Dr. Mark Schaller, Dr. Jessica Tracy M.A. The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., (2012) Social/Personality Psychology (Thesis grade: A+) Supervisors: Dr. Mark Schaller, Dr. Jessica Tracy B.A. The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., (2010) Psychology PUBLICATIONS Beall, A.T. & Tracy, J.L. (in press). Women more likely to wear red or pink at peak fertility. Psychological Science. Elliot, A.J., Tracy, J.L., Pazda, A.D., Beall, A.T. (2013). Red enhances women’s attraction to men: First evidence of universality. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49, 165-168. Tracy, J. L., & Beall, A.T. (2011). Happy guys finish last: The impact of emotion expressions on sexual attraction. Emotion, 11, 1379-1387. Alec Beall Curriculum Vitae 2 MANUSCRIPTS UNDER REVIEW AND IN PREPARATION Beall, A.T., & Tracy, J.L. (in prep.) Attractiveness of the shame expression varies across culture and ovulatory cycle. Beall, A.T., & Schaller, M.
    [Show full text]
  • Author Title 1 ? Mennyi? Szamok a Termeszetben 2 A. DAVID REDISH
    Author Title 1 ? Mennyi? Szamok a termeszetben 2 A. DAVID REDISH. BEYOND THE COGNITIVE MAP : FROM PLACE CELLS TO EPISODIC MEMORY 3 Aaron C.T.Smith Cognitive mechanisms of belief change 4 Aaron L.Berkowitz The improvising mind: cognition and creativity in the musical moment 5 AARON L.BERKOWITZ. THE IMPROVISING MIND : COGNITION AND CREATIVITY IN THE MUSICAL MOMENT 6 AARON T. BECK. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND THE EMOTIONAL DISORDERS 7 Aaron Williamon Musical excellence: strategies and techniques to enhance performance 8 AIDAN FEENEY, EVAN HEIT. INDUCTIVE REASONING : EXPERIMENTAL, DEVELOPMENTAL, AND COMPUTATIONAL APPROACHES 9 Alain F. Zuur, Elena N. Ieno, Erik H.W.G.Meesters A beginner`s guide to R 10 Alain F. Zuur, Elena N. Ieno, Erik H.W.G.Meesters A beginner`s guide to R 11 ALAN BADDELEY, Michael W. EYSENCK, AND Michael MEMORYC. ANDERSON. 12 ALAN GILCHRIST. SEEING BLACK AND WHITE 13 Alan Merriam The anthropology of music RYTHMES ET CHAOS DANS LES SYSTEMES BIOCHIMIQUES ET CELLULAIRES. ENGLISH. BIOCHEMICAL 14 ALBERT GOLDBETER OSCILLATIONS AND CELLULAR RHYTHMS : THE MOLECULAR BASES OF PERIODIC AND CHAOTIC BEHAVIOUR 15 Albert S Bregman Auditory scene analysis: the perceptual organization of sound 16 Albert-Laszlo Barabasi Network Science 17 Alda Mari, Claire Beyssade, Fabio del Prete Genericity 18 Alex Mesoudi Cultural Evolution: how Darwinian theory can explain human culture and synthesize the social sciences 19 Alexander Easton The cognitive neuroscience of social behaviour. 20 ALEXANDER TODOROV Face Value the irresistible influence of first impression 21 ALEXANDER TODOROV, Susan T. FISKE & DEBORAHSOCIAL PRENTICE. NEUROSCIENCE : TOWARD UNDERSTANDING THE UNDERPINNINGS OF THE SOCIAL MIND 22 ALEXANDRA HOROWITZ INSIDE OF A DOG : WHAT DOGS SEE, SMELL, AND KNOW 23 Alfred Blatter Revisiting music theory: a guide to the practice 24 Alison Gopnik Bolcsek a bolcsoben: hogyan gondolkodnak a kisbabak 25 Alison Gopnik A babak filozofiaja 26 ANDREW DUCHOWSKI EYE TRACKING METHODOLOGY : THEORY AND PRACTICE 27 Andrew Gelman Bayesian Data Analysis 28 ANDREW GELMAN ..
    [Show full text]
  • What Does Modern Science Say About the Origin of Religion?
    DIALOGUE AND UNIVERSALISM No. 4/2012 Marian Hillar WHAT DOES MODERN SCIENCE SAY ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF RELIGION? Published in Dialogue and Universalism, Vol. XXII, No. 4, 2012, pp. 111- 120. ABSTRACT The origin of religion has fascinated philosophers and evolutionary scientists alike. This article reviews several mechanisms which might have led humans to various forms of religious beliefs. Modern studies and archaeological records suggest that religion may promote cooperation through development of symbolic behavior. Keywords: Mental faculties; mind theory; the world as living organism; imagina- tion, brain patterns; rules of behavior. In almost every society we find gods, worshipped in magnificent and impos- ing buildings construction of which consumed enormous resources and efforts. This worship is accompanied by elaborate rituals and most often written texts considered the direct revelation of divinities for the purpose of explaining hu- mans’ place in the world and relations toward god(s) and other humans. Since antiquity people pondered the question of existence or nonexistence of god(s) and tried to explain the origin of religion. Epicurus claimed that we must admit the existence of gods because this knowledge is implanted in our minds from birth. So we have a preconception or “an innate idea” or a prior knowledge of the divine. Others denied any existence of gods. Still others such as Protagoras of Abdera wrote that “we are not able to say whether the gods existed or not.”1 When Darwin posited the idea of human origin from the animal world he immediately concluded that “As so as the important faculties of the imagina- tion, wonder, and curiosity, together with some power of reasoning, had become ————————— 1 Cicero, The Nature of the Gods.
    [Show full text]
  • It's Personal and Disgusting: Extra
    It's Personal and Disgusting: Extra-Linguistic Information in Language Comprehension by Isabell Hubert Lyall A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Linguistics University of Alberta Examining committee: Juhani J¨arvikivi,Supervisor Antti Arppe, Supervisory Committee Benjamin V. Tucker, Supervisory Committee Elena Nicoladis, Examiner Julie Boland, External Examiner c Isabell Hubert Lyall, 2019 Abstract This dissertation examines the influence of various extra-linguistic aspects on language com- prehension. While language comprehension is generally understood to be influenced by real- world context, and by certain individual difference variables such as the listener's mood, it is unclear how an individual's personality and political views interact with variables inferred about the speaker when understanding language. This dissertation thus investigated how aspects of a listener's identity (namely their personality, political views, and Disgust Sensi- tivity), combined with aspects inferred about the speaker's identity (specifically, their gender inferred from their voice), influences language comprehension. Additionally, this dissertation presents the first investigation of Disgust Sensitivity within the context of linguistic process- ing. Disgust Sensitivity is assumed to be a marker of Behavioural Immune System activity, which attempts to protect an organism from pathogens and is thus assumed to correlate with a person's outgroup stigmatization tendencies. To assess
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution, Culture, and the Human Mind
    EVOLUTION, CULTURE, AND THE HUMAN MIND Edited by Mark Schaller, Ara Norenzayan, Steven J. Heine, Toshio Yamagishi, Tatsuya Kameda \}' ~~~~~~!~2!uP P r ess New York London o(O/ 0 Towards a Cultural/Evolutionary Psychology Cooperation and Complementarity PAULROZIN We start with the assumption that ind ivid ual men possess autl1entic proper­ ties distinctive of Horrw sapiem and that their actions in society alte r them in authenticall y distinctive ways (Asch, 1952, p. 119) n about the past two decades, psychology has been blessed by the develop­ ment of two new subRelds , evolutionary and cultural psychology. Each has I provided an important perspective and corrective to what has come before. Evolutionary psychology brings to bear on the phenomena of psychology one of th e greatest scientif-ic theories of all time. lt introduces the important idea of domain specificity into a psychology previously dominated by general process theories, enriches psychological understanding witl! evolutionary and adaptive explanations, and places hu man behavior and mind in their natural context. Cultural psychology call s the attention of psychology to one of the most powerful forces, perhaps the most powerful force, that shapes human beings, challenges universal principles of psychology from a direction different from evolutionary psychology, and also emphasizes that humans must be studied in context. Both bring important new questions to the forefi·ont of psychology. We should celebrate these accomplish­ ments and recognize that the two together can do much more than either alone, not just because each can add to our understanding but because th ere is an interac­ tion e ffect: They can each improve the other.
    [Show full text]