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Religious motivations for cooperation : An experimental investigation using explicit primes
Rand, David G. Dreber, Anna Haque, Omar S. Kane, Rob J. Nowak, Martin A. Coakley, Sarah
Rand, David G.
Dreber, Anna
Haque, Omar S.
Kane, Rob J.
Nowak, Martin A.
Coakley, Sarah
Abstract
The role of religion in human cooperation remains a highly contested topic. Recent studies using economic game experiments to explore this issue have been largely inconclusive, yielding a range of conflicting results. In this study, we investigate the ability of religion to promote cooperation by using explicit theological primes. In the first study, conducted in a church, we find that subjects who report a stronger connection with a Christian passage about charitable giving are subsequently more likely to cooperate in a one-shot prisoner's dilemma game. In the second study, conducted over the Internet, we find that Christian subjects are more likely to cooperate after reading a Christian passage than a neutral one. However, in the same study, we find that Hindu and secular passages have no significant effect on Christians, and that none of the passages (Christian, Hindu, or secular) have an effect on non-Christians. Our results show the potential power of explicitly religious exhortations that promote cooperation, and also their selectivity.
Keywords
prisoner’s dilemma, prosociality, religiosity, theological priming
Date
2014
Type
Journal article
Journal
Religion, Brain and Behavior
Book
Volume
4
Issue
1
Page Range
31-48
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry
Faculty of Theology and Philosophy
Faculty of Theology and Philosophy
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Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled