Religious attitudes and prosocial behavior: A systematic review of published research

What is it about?

One of the more recurrent issues in the scientific study of religion is the thesis that religion evolved because of its ability to enable forms of cooperation or in-group mutual help. This hypothesis points to a strong moral component in the origin of religion and religion’s subsequent development. The evidence from the historical record is scarce and non-conclusive. Empirical and experimental studies have often shown a positive influence of religious background or priming in attitudes to collaborate. The present research will look at the level and quality of the evidence gathered to the date. The first part will review the published papers dealing with this issue in an empirical or experimental way. The second part will make a ‘review of the reviews’ published to date and offer an account of the gathered evidence. Heuristic pluralism seems to be clearly the norm in this case; and by no means can be claimed that the issue has been settled.

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Why is it important?

It offers a systematic review of available literature