Supernatural beliefs both motivate and signal prosocial intention across social contexts

Evidence

Beliefs in supernatural monitors are a potent motivator of prosocial behavior. Under a range of contexts, they are also potent signals of prosocial intention. It makes sense that believers of a faith trust other believers of the same faith, but how far does this trust extend beyond the confines of the group? For example, would religious believers rather trust members of other, perhaps competing, faiths than those who show no faith at all? This brings us to another key question: are there any groups of people who are systematically excluded from even the widest circle of religious trust? — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 222

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes the two distinct functions of Big God psychology — internal motivation and external signaling — that the reader’s analytical bridge depends on.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 222