Hazard Precaution : Examining the Possible Adaptive Value of Ritualized Behavior

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Authors

LANG Martin CHVAJA Radim

Year of publication 2023
Type Chapter of a book
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Arts

Citation
Description The near omnipresence of religious systems across the globe and throughout human history has led researchers to hypothesize that religious systems fulfil important adaptive functions in their specific niches (Lang & Kundt, 2020; Sosis, 2017, 2019).1 Two functions have been of particular interest: promoting group coordination and cooperation and promoting positive effects on individual health and survival while a third major function of religious systems, promotion of reproduction, gradually gains attention (see Van Slyke, ch. 7 this volume; Shaver et al., 2020). Alongside beliefs in various superhuman agents and other components of religious systems, a major role in facilitating these functions appears to be played by ritual behavior, both in its individual and group forms (Purzycki & Arakchaa, 2013; Sosis, 2004; Xygalatas et al., 2019, 2013). In this chapter, we examine whether ritual behavior, in interaction with other evolved cognitive- behavioral systems, positively affects one of the three main outputs of religious systems— the promotion of individual health and survival— and speculate about ritual’s tentative adaptive value.
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