Research team looking to prove controversial theory that religion was the ‘cornerstone to civilizati

[icymist]

VANCOUVER – Seven years ago, social psychologist Ara Norenzayan gathered 125 participants at the University of British Columbia, asked them to solve a word puzzle and then handed them $10 with instructions to share it with a stranger.

As expected, some participants kept the whole sum and some split it 50-50 — but the surprising thing was how easily their generosity could be moulded by the subtleties of the word puzzle.

Participants who completed a puzzle peppered with religious words, such as “spirit,” “God” or “prophet,” largely decided to split the cash. Participants with neutral word puzzles, meanwhile, barely shared at all.

http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/12/21/research-team-looking-to-prove-controversial-theory-that-religion-was-the-cornerstone-to-civilizations/

[tama]

1. sigh

That article is utter garbage.

[icymist]

2. Hmmm. What about it upset you?

I, for one, am not offended by it. I am curious about why you think it is 'utter garbage'.

[tama]

3. Too much

clearly wrong claims and assumptions in the field of study of religion, which I don't have energy and patience to correct. But I can name the source of those false assumptions: colonialist attitude towards "primitive" aka indigenous peoples aka "pagans".