Anthropomorphism is selective and conditional, not automatic and promiscuous.
Evidence
This claim should not be confused with another that sees religion as a product of the general tendency to anthropomorphize the world. Some argue that seeing human-like beings everywhere is a “better-safe-then-sorry” hyperactive strategy, encouraging the belief that the world is populated with gods and spirits (see Guthrie, 1996; Barrett, 2000). This might describe animistic beliefs of many cultures to some extent. However, empirical work has painted a different picture regarding the origins of anthropomorphism. Rather than showing that this tendency is promiscuous, rapid, and automatic, studies have shown that people project human minds to nonhuman entities sometimes, under some conditions. They do so when an entity behaves unpredictably (think of your computer malfunctioning), when the idea of human is prominent (a robot with human-like features), and when people desire human connection (lonely people who anthropomorphize their pets); for reviews, see Epley et al., 2007; Waytz et al., 2010. — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 669
Categorization
Category: Contrarian or Surprising Claims
- XREF: Undermines the hyperactive-agent-detection theory of god-belief, which constrains how the reader should frame Rodrigues’ perception of God’s presence.
Related
- Anthropomorphism is conditional and triggered, not automatic and promiscuous (similarity 0.92)
- A generalized anthropomorphism tendency does not predict belief in God among Christians (similarity 0.86)
- Believing in God is inseparable from anthropomorphizing God as a personlike mind (similarity 0.82)
- Religious belief requires intuitive mentalizing about a personal God (similarity 0.79)