Cognitive resource depletion in religious interactions

We explore the cognitive effects of three common features of religious interactions: (1) demand for the expressive suppression of emotion; (2) exposure to goal-demoted and causally opaque actions; and (3) the presence of a charismatic authority. Using a cognitive resource model of executive function...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Religion, brain & behavior
Authors: Schjoedt, Uffe (Author) ; Sørensen, Jesper (Author) ; Nielbo, Kristoffer Laigaard (Author) ; Xygalatas, Dimitris (Author) ; Mitkidis, Panagiotis (Author) ; Bulbulia, Joseph (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Routledge 2013
In: Religion, brain & behavior
Further subjects:B Authority
B predictive coding
B ritualized behavior
B resource depletion
B Emotion regulation
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:We explore the cognitive effects of three common features of religious interactions: (1) demand for the expressive suppression of emotion; (2) exposure to goal-demoted and causally opaque actions; and (3) the presence of a charismatic authority. Using a cognitive resource model of executive function, we argue that these three features affect the executive system in ways that limit the capacity for individual processing of religious events. We frame our analysis in the context of a general assumption that collective rituals facilitate the transmission of cultural ideas. Building on recent experiments, we suggest that these three features increase participants' susceptibility to authoritative narratives and interpretations by preventing individuals from constructing their own accounts of the ritual event.
ISSN:2153-5981
Contains:Enthalten in: Religion, brain & behavior
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/2153599X.2012.736714