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The Rise And Fall Of Religion: An Agent-based Model Of Secularisation, Security And Prosociality.

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The Rise And Fall Of Religion: An Agent-based Model Of Secularisation, Security And Prosociality.

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The rise and fall of religion: An agent-based model of secularisation, security and prosociality.

Ivan Puga-Gonzalez¹, F LeRon Shults^1,2, Ross Gore³

¹NORCE Center for Modelling Social Systems, Kristiansand, Norway.

|November 20, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study explores how religion impacts social order and anxiety, using computer simulations to understand the rise and fall of religiosity. It examines the role of secular institutions in fostering cooperation.

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Area of Science:

Social Sciences
Sociology
Psychology

Background:

Classical sociological theories link religion to social order (Durkheim) and ritual to anxiety (Malinowski).
These perspectives present a tension, connecting religion to both low and high levels of environmental threats and anxiety.
This duality is crucial for understanding secularization and existential security.

Purpose of the Study:

To theoretically explore the relationship between religion, prosocial behavior, and anxiety.
To investigate the dynamics underlying the emergence and decline of religiosity in societies.
To examine the role of secular institutions in maintaining cooperation.

Main Methods:

Theoretical exploration of sociological and psychological approaches to religion.

Agent-based computer simulation to model the interplay of religion, prosociality, and anxiety.

Analysis of conditions fostering religious societies and subsequent secularization.

Main Results:

The simulation links mechanisms of religion, prosociality, and anxiety to societal dynamics.
Identifies conditions that promote highly religious societies and their subsequent decline.
Highlights the significance of secular institutions in cooperation.

Conclusions:

Religion's dual role in social order and anxiety is complex and context-dependent.
Agent-based modeling offers insights into secularization trends.
Secular institutions are vital for cooperation, especially in less religious societies.