The value of thoughts and prayers

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Behavioral Economics
• Sociology of Religion

Background:

• The common response to adversity, such as natural disasters or mass shootings, involves offering "thoughts and prayers."
• Critics question the efficacy of these gestures, suggesting they may hinder necessary structural reforms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the perceived value of receiving "thoughts and prayers" from strangers after experiencing hardship.
• To explore how religious and non-religious individuals perceive and value these expressions of support.

Main Methods:

• Utilized economic valuation methods to elicit willingness-to-pay or willingness-to-avoid for receiving "thoughts and prayers."
• Segmented participants based on religious affiliation (Christian, atheist, agnostic) and the source of the "thoughts and prayers" (religious strangers, priests, secular individuals).

Main Results:

• Christians reported valuing thoughts and prayers from religious strangers and priests.
• Atheists and agnostics demonstrated "prayer aversion," indicating a willingness to pay to avoid receiving prayers.
• Atheists and agnostics were indifferent to thoughts from secular individuals but negatively valued thoughts from Christians.

Conclusions:

• The value of "thoughts and prayers" is subjective and depends significantly on the recipient's religious beliefs and the sender's perceived religiosity.
• Religious and secular individuals derive different, and sometimes opposing, value from these common social gestures.
• Findings highlight the importance of considering individual beliefs when offering support following adversity.