Why belief in the supernatural is only natural

For Halloween: New research on rituals and belief in the supernatural

2013-10-25

(Press-News.org) Contact information: Lisa M.P. Munoz
spsp.publicaffairs@gmail.com
703-951-3195
Society for Personality and Social Psychology
Why belief in the supernatural is only natural For Halloween: New research on rituals and belief in the supernatural From disguises to belief in magic, Halloween is rich with stories that share insight into human behavior. Check out this new research to be presented at the SPSP annual convention in Austin, Feb. 13-15, 2014.

Why Belief in the Supernatural is Only Natural

In many parts of the world, belief in witchcraft and magic is alive and well, with people relying on rituals for everything from treating asthma to curbing infidelity. Even if you don't believe in witchcraft outside of Halloween, chances are you believe in some form of the supernatural, even if just the power of the ritual -- whether wearing a lucky jersey to bestow luck on your favorite sports team or praying for a sick friend.

From a young age, many people develop beliefs in the supernatural, often through participation in rituals, to influence events in the natural world. By studying real-life Brazilian rituals, Cristine Legare and André Souza of the University of Texas at Austin were able to create their own rituals to examine why people think they work. They are now finding that rituals help people gain a sense of control over their environment.

###

Contact Cristine Legare: legare[at]austin.utexas.edu; her past work looks also at why beliefs in witchcraft and science are not psychologically incompatible.

Other expert on rituals:

Michael Norton, Harvard School of Business, mnorton[at]hbs.edu, who studies how rituals relate to control and help people to mitigate grief

Legare and Norton will both present their research on Friday, Feb. 14, in Symposium S-D6: "Symposium S-D6: "Rituals Make Life Better -- By Enhancing Consumption, Communicating Social Norms, Treating Illness, and Relieving Grief" at the SPSP convention in Austin.

Other Halloween-related experts:

Don Forsyth, University of Richmond, dforsyth[at]richmond.edu, studies the effects of anonymity on people in groups and can speak about the psychology of Halloween disguises

Nathan Dewall, University of Kentucky, nathan.dewall@uky.edu, whose new work looks at the Voodoo Doll task, which builds off the idea that people transfer characteristics of a person onto a voodoo doll representing that person, in order to study aggression SPSP promotes scientific research that explores how people think, behave, feel, and interact. The Society is the largest organization of social and personality psychologists in the world.

Follow us on Twitter: @SPSPnews

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Green algae move to the beat

2013-10-25

Green algae move to the beat Max Planck researchers in Dresden explain the flagellar synchronization of swimming algae This news release is available in German. The beating of flagella is one of the basic principles of movement in the cellular cosmos. However, ...

New microscopes at NIH reveal live, developing cells in unprecedented 3-D clarity

2013-10-25

New microscopes at NIH reveal live, developing cells in unprecedented 3-D clarity Biology moves into the third dimension, may help observe how a brain develops and viruses attack Researchers at NIH have developed two new ...

Oregon researchers say supplement cuts muscle loss in knee replacements

2013-10-25

Oregon researchers say supplement cuts muscle loss in knee replacements Package of 8 essential amino acids, taken after physical therapy, also helps to speed recovery EUGENE, Ore. -- (Oct. 25, 2013) -- Twenty grams of essential amino acids taken twice daily for a week ...

IUPUI physicist collaborates in new study of the cell's 'shredder'

2013-10-25

IUPUI physicist collaborates in new study of the cell's 'shredder' INDIANAPOLIS -- Steve Pressé, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics in the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, collaborates ...

First gene detected for most common form of mitral valve prolapse

2013-10-25

First gene detected for most common form of mitral valve prolapse Scientists also found that gene disrupts heart valve development & growth Research on the DNA of a large multi-generational family has provided a genetic clue that enabled scientists to ...

Study finds that paying people to become kidney donors could be cost-effective

2013-10-25

Study finds that paying people to become kidney donors could be cost-effective Even a small increase in donors would save money and prolong lives Washington, DC (October 24, 2013) — A strategy where living kidney donors are paid $10,000, with the assumption that ...

Hands-free ultrasound device with clot-busting drug safe for stroke patients

2013-10-25

Hands-free ultrasound device with clot-busting drug safe for stroke patients American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report A hands-free ultrasound device combined with a clot-busting drug was safe for ischemic stroke patients in a phase II pilot study, ...

Scientists solve mystery of odd patterns of oxygen in solar system's earliest rocks

2013-10-25

Scientists solve mystery of odd patterns of oxygen in solar system's earliest rocks Reaction replicates formation of first silicate dust; oxygen isotopes match mix seen in stony meteorites Cosmochemists have solved a long standing mystery in the formation ...

Increasing toxicity of algal blooms tied to nutrient enrichment and climate change

2013-10-25

Increasing toxicity of algal blooms tied to nutrient enrichment and climate change CORVALLIS, Ore. – Nutrient enrichment and climate change are posing yet another concern of growing importance: an apparent increase in the toxicity of some algal blooms in freshwater ...

Unique chemistry in hydrogen catalysts

2013-10-25

Unique chemistry in hydrogen catalysts Making hydrogen easily and cheaply is a dream goal for clean, sustainable energy. Bacteria have been doing exactly that for billions of years, and now chemists at the University of California, Davis, and Stanford University ...

Some coral "walk" towards blue or white light, using rolling, sliding or pulsing movements to migrate, per experiments with free-living mushroom coral Cycloseris cyclolites

Why belief in the supernatural is only natural

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: