Synchrony vs. pain in males and females: an examination of differential effects on social bonding in a naturally occurring ritual
Rituals are thought to bind individuals together. Rituals that are perceived high in pain and behavioral synchrony increase social bonding, but the relative contribution of perceived pain vs. synchrony is unexplored. In addition, gender differences are rarely investigated in experimental studies of...
Authors: | ; |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Routledge
[2020]
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In: |
Religion, brain & behavior
Year: 2020, Volume: 10, Issue: 4, Pages: 407-427 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Ritual
/ Synchronousness
/ Pain
/ Gender-specific role
/ Social ties
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RelBib Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy AE Psychology of religion AG Religious life; material religion |
Further subjects: | B
Pain
B Cultural Evolution B Social bonding B Ritual B costly signaling B Gender B synchrony |
Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) |
Summary: | Rituals are thought to bind individuals together. Rituals that are perceived high in pain and behavioral synchrony increase social bonding, but the relative contribution of perceived pain vs. synchrony is unexplored. In addition, gender differences are rarely investigated in experimental studies of ritual, despite known gender differences in ritual participation, emotional processing, social bonding and pain processing. The current study uses data from 137 participants in a naturally occurring high ordeal ritual lasting 10 days. Because all individuals participated in multiple rituals varying in perceived pain and synchrony, it was possible to separate the unique and joint effects in a natural context. We found strong bonding effects for rituals perceived as painful, but not for synchrony. Rituals rated as higher in level of pain (involving cuts, piercings and burns) were associated with greater self-reported social bonding. Gender moderated these effects: Women reported stronger bonding after participating in non-synchronous rituals perceived higher in pain, whereas men reported greater bonding after synchronous activities with more perceived pain. These findings suggest that pain-related processes are a more potent social bonding mechanism than synchrony in naturally occurring high ordeal rituals, but that perceived pain may have different signaling functions depending on the gender of performers. |
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ISSN: | 2153-5981 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion, brain & behavior
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/2153599X.2019.1626271 |