Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
11-2019
Abstract
Pathogens represent a significant threat to human health leading to the emergence of strategies designed to help manage their negative impact. We examined how spiritual beliefs developed to explain and predict the devastating effects of pathogens and spread of infectious disease. Analysis of existing data in studies 1 and 2 suggests that moral vitalism (beliefs about spiritual forces of evil) is higher in geographical regions characterized by historical higher levels of pathogens. Furthermore, drawing on a sample of 3140 participants from 28 countries in study 3, we found that historical higher levels of pathogens were associated with stronger endorsement of moral vitalistic beliefs. Furthermore, endorsement of moral vitalistic beliefs statistically mediated the previously reported relationship between pathogen prevalence and conservative ideologies, suggesting these beliefs reinforce behavioural strategies which function to prevent infection. We conclude that moral vitalism may be adaptive: by emphasizing concerns over contagion, it provided an explanatory model that enabled human groups to reduce rates of contagious disease.
Keywords
pathogens, morality, spiritual belief, vitalism, disease
Discipline
Health Psychology
Research Areas
Psychology
Publication
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Volume
286
Issue
1914
First Page
1
Last Page
10
ISSN
0962-8452
Identifier
10.1098/rspb.2019.1576
Publisher
The Royal Society
Citation
BROCK, Bastian, VAUCLAIR, Christin-Melanie, LOUGHNAN, Steve, BAIN, Paul, ASHOKKUMAR, Ashwini, BECKER, Maja, BILEWICZ, Michal, COLLIER-BAKER, Emma, CRESPO, Carla, EASTWICK, Paul W., FISCHER, Ronald, Jennifer TONG, , & TONG, Jennifer.(2019). Explaining illness with evil: Pathogen prevalence fosters moral vitalism. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 286(1914), 1-10.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/4477
Copyright Owner and License
Authors-CC-BY
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.1576
Comments
Full list of authors: Brock, Bastian; Vauclair, Christin-Melanie; Loughnan, Steve; Bain, Paul; Ashokkumar, Ashwini; Becker, Maja; Bilewicz, Michal; Collier-Baker, Emma; Crespo, Carla; Eastwick, Paul W.; Fischer, Ronald; Friese, Malte; Gomez Angel, Guerra Valeschka M., Castellanos Guevara Jose Luis, Hanke Katja, Hooper Nic, Huang Li-Li, Shi Junqi, Karasawa Minoru, Kuppens Peter, Leknes Siri, Peker Mujde, Pelay Cesar, Pina Afroditi, Sachkova Marianna, Saguy Tamar, Silfver-Kuhalampi Mia, Sortheix Florencia, Tong Jennifer, Yeung Victoria Wai-lan, Duffy Jacob, Swann William B. Jr.