What we think prayers do: Americans' expectations and valuation of intercessory prayer

Area of Science:

• Psychology of Religion
• Social Psychology
• Sociology of Religion

Background:

• Prayer for others is a common response to tragedy in the United States.
• The value and impact of such intercessory prayer gestures are debated and not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how individuals value receiving prayers from strangers after experiencing hardship.
• To identify factors influencing the perceived value of intercessory prayer.

Main Methods:

• A survey experiment was conducted to elicit participants' valuation of receiving a prayer.
• The study examined how personal beliefs and the nature of the hardship affect prayer valuation.

Main Results:

• Positive valuation stemmed from perceived emotional support and belief in divine intervention (answered prayers).
• Some participants believed prayers could improve health and wealth, despite a lack of empirical evidence.
• Negative valuation was linked to viewing prayer as a waste of time, intensified by religious offense; context (hardship type) also influenced valuation.

Conclusions:

• The perceived benefits of intercessory prayer are subjective and influenced by individual beliefs and experiences.
• Negative perceptions are strongly associated with religious offense and a belief in the futility of prayer.
• The context of the hardship significantly moderates the value placed on receiving prayers.