Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/30787
Title: Religion as a natural laboratory for understanding human behavior
Authors: Moon, JW
Keywords: culture;evolution;morality;religion
Issue Date: 30-May-2024
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Citation: Moon, J.W. (2024) 'Religion as a natural laboratory for understanding human behavior', Archive for the Psychology of Religion, 46 (3), pp. 268 - 285. doi: 10.1177/00846724241255131.
Abstract: What do we gain from the scientific study of religion? One possibility is that religious contexts are unique, and cognition within these contexts is worth understanding. Another possibility is that religion can be viewed as a laboratory for understanding psychology and culture more broadly. Rather than limiting the study of religion to a single context, I argue that the study of religion is useful precisely because it illuminates secular psychological and cultural processes. I first outline my practical approach to psychology and religion, focusing on how people use religion to advance mundane goals. I then discuss several domains in which studying religion has led to important insights, including culture, prejudice, and cognition. This article is an extended version of an Early Career Award address given at the International Association for the Psychology of Religion meeting in 2023 in Groningen, Netherlands.
URI: https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/30787
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00846724241255131
ISSN: 0084-6724
Other Identifiers: ORCiD: Jordan W. Moon https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5102-3585
Appears in Collections:Dept of Life Sciences Research Papers

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