Ciência-IUL
Publicações
Descrição Detalhada da Publicação
Título Revista
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Ano (publicação definitiva)
2019
Língua
Inglês
País
Reino Unido
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Abstract/Resumo
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.
Agradecimentos/Acknowledgements
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Palavras-chave
Pathogens,Morality,Spiritual belief,Vitalism,Disease
Classificação Fields of Science and Technology
- Ciências da Terra e do Ambiente - Ciências Naturais
- Ciências Biológicas - Ciências Naturais
- Medicina Básica - Ciências Médicas
- Medicina Clínica - Ciências Médicas
- Outras Ciências Médicas - Ciências Médicas
- Outras Ciências Agrárias - Ciências Agrárias
Registos de financiamentos
Referência de financiamento | Entidade Financiadora |
---|---|
DP110102632 | Australian Research Council |
UID/PSI/03125/2013 | Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia |