Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
Published on: September 28, 2018
Religion and support for suicide attacks
Jeremy Ginges1, Ian Hansen, Ara Norenzayan
1New School for Social Research, New York, NY 10003, USA. gingesj@newschool.edu
Abstract:
In four studies carried out across different cultural, religious, and political contexts, we investigated the association between religion and popular support for suicide attacks. In two surveys of Palestinians and one cognitive priming experiment with Israeli settlers, prayer to God, an index of religious devotion, was unrelated to support for suicide attacks. Instead, attendance at religious services, thought to enhance coalitional commitment, positively predicted support for suicide attacks. In a survey of six religions in six nations, regular attendance at religious services positively predicted a combination of willing martyrdom and out-group hostility, but regular prayer did not. Implications for understanding the role of religion in suicide attacks are discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques VI
Motivation and Self-Determination
Motivation, the driving force behind behavior, plays a pivotal role at every stage of the change process. The research...
Surveys
Personal Choice and Fate Attributions
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Group Polarization
Secondary Motives: Affiliation Motivation and Aggression Motivation
