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Evolutionary psychology

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May 2020

May 18, 2020

The Natural Origins of Obligation

The evolutionary developmental psychologist Michael Tomasello argues that, while other animals experience sympathy, the specific...

September 2019

September 25, 2019

Is Morality About Cooperation?

If there’s one thing nearly all people can agree on, it’s that some actions are...

February 2019

February 07, 2019

We Trust Religious People More Because They’re Less Sexy

Why do people – even atheists – tend to trust religious believers more? A scientific...

December 2018

December 11, 2018

Measuring the Evolution Gap between the Humanities and the Sciences

According to a recent research report, scholars in the humanities and the hard social sciences...

May 2018

May 17, 2018

Why Do Societies Differ Psychologically?

A team of psychologists think that behavioral ecology can help us understand why Westerners think...

June 2015

June 03, 2015

Animals evolve. People evolve. Can groups evolve?

It seems as if, evolutionarily speaking, groups are real entities. Mathematical modeling and lab studies...

May 2015

May 20, 2015

Religion and evolution, part deux

Rollicking debates about evolutionary theory are crucial for understanding how religion evolved – because many...

April 2015

April 16, 2015

Is religion evolutionarily adaptive?

Darwinian evolution is amoral. Evolutionary adaptations are often extremely nasty. Genetically maladaptive behavior can be...

October 2014

October 02, 2014

Sex, the cuddle chemical, and religion

Kate Stockly-Myerdirk Last week, Connor wrote about sex differences here. I happen to research one...

September 2014

September 23, 2014

The Sam Harris backlash: is sex real?

We should be suspicious of sweeping claims about sex differences. But for there to be...

June 2014

June 28, 2014

How do we make meaning of evolution? By admitting its uncomfortable truths.

the most vital trait of evolution is also its most difficult: there’s no purpose in...

June 10, 2014

Why do religions tell impossible tales? A testable hypothesis

Impossible imagery in religious narratives and folktales might, in part, serve as a solution to...

March 2014

March 21, 2014

Is science more “unnatural” than religion?

Is religion more "natural" than science? Cognitive scientist Robert McCauley says yes, because religion depends...

December 2013

December 23, 2013

Is religion anthropomorphism?

Anthropologist Stewart Guthrie argues that religion arises from humans' inborn tendency to anthropomorphize the world...

November 2012

November 08, 2012

Supernatural agents influence our social strategies

Ever get the feeling you're not alone even when there's no one around? Researchers from...

October 2012

October 20, 2012

Religious conservatism may be driven by the disgust response

New research shows that religious conservatism may be a product of our natural disgust response,...

July 2012

July 30, 2012

Painful rituals: good for some, not for others

A new research study from Oxford University shows that rituals associated with different cultural settings...

July 06, 2012

Traditional religion: investing in families, genetically

Religions can be profoundly sexually repressive. Why is this? New research from Mali offers a...

June 2012

June 08, 2012

Why do we think the soul persists after death?

Why do we think there's an afterlife? A California research team thinks that not only...

May 2012

May 14, 2012

Atheism: a personality profile

Jonathan Morgan For half a decade, the cognitive science of religion has sought the evolutionary...

April 2012

April 30, 2012

Religious terrorism: an evolutionary explanation

Connor Wood Interest in the scientific study of religion has surged over the past decade....