Vancouver, Canada - Can thoughts of God cultivate co-operation and generosity?
A study out of the University of B.C. found thinking about God and notions of a higher power influenced positive social behaviour, co-operation with others and generosity to strangers.
University psychology researchers Azim Shariff and Ara Norenzayan found that instilling God into a person's subconscious promoted altruism whether or not people declared themselves believers.
The study group was divided in two with half the subjects unaware they were being primed with "god concepts."
In two different studies involving 125 people, 68 per cent from the religious prime groups gave $5 or more to anonymous strangers, compared to 22 per cent from the groups where neutral or no concepts were activated.
The study will be published in the September issue of Psychological Science journal.