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Awe: A direct pathway from extravagant displays to prosociality

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 March 2016

Anastasia Ejova
Anastasia Ejova*
Affiliation:
Laboratory for the Experimental Study of Religion (LEVYNA), Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic. [email protected]://www.muni.cz/phil/people/235144
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Abstract

Whereas Norenzayan et al. describe extravagant displays as a reliable means of belief transmission, this commentary reviews three emerging hypotheses about a direct connection between the awe elicited by extravagant displays and prosocial behaviour. If some of these hypotheses are correct, extravagant displays enhanced prosociality even among nonbelievers. Methodological suggestions are made for future experimental research on the awe–prosociality pathway.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 39 , 2016 , e12
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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