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Related Experiment Videos

Coerced coordination, not cooperation.

Montserrat Soler1, Hillary L Lenfesty2

  • 1Department of Anthropology,Montclair State University,Montclair,NJ 07043solerm@mail.montclair.eduhttps://sites.google.com/site/montserratsoleranthro/

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|March 8, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Big God religions may not be cooperative. This study suggests they are coordination mechanisms that use competition and exploitation between social groups, rather than promoting harmony.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Anthropology
  • Sociology of Religion
  • Behavioral Economics

Background:

  • Norenzayan et al. proposed Big God (BG) religions foster large-group cooperation, internal harmony, and higher fertility through mutual benefits.
  • This perspective frames BG religions as advantageous for participants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the distribution of costs and benefits within Big God religions.
  • To propose an alternative framework for understanding the success of BG religions.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical analysis of social dynamics within religious groups.
  • Examination of cost-benefit distributions considering social stratification (class and sex).

Main Results:

  • Evidence suggests BG religions function as coordinating mechanisms rather than purely cooperative enterprises.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Intragroup competition and exploitation between different social classes and sexes appear central to their success.

    • Conclusions:

    • BG religions may succeed by managing intragroup conflict and exploitation, not solely through universal harmony.
    • The proposed model highlights the role of social hierarchies in the evolution and maintenance of large-scale religious societies.