Fear of watchful gods measurably increased within-group cooperation and trust

Evidence

Some early mutants in this template were watchful Big Gods with interventionist inclinations. Believers who feared these gods cooperated, trusted, and sacrificed for the group much more than believers in morally indifferent gods or gods lacking omniscience. — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 45

Categorization

• XREF: The omniscient-God-watching mechanism central to the reader’s reading purpose for Rodrigues’ perceived divine gaze.