THE EVOLUTION OF BELIEFS IN GOD, SPIRIT, AND THE PARANORMAL. I: TERROR MANAGEMENT AND RITUAL HEALING THEORIES

摘要

It has been suggested that nearly universal beliefs in God, spirit, and paranormal phenomena evolved because such beliefs alleviate death anxiety. The terror management theory of religion is reviewed. Evidence for an association between lowered death anxiety and religious/paranormal beliefs is extensive, though perhaps somewhat inconsistent, and limited to particular facets of death anxiety, particular aspects of religiosity, and restricted ranges of belief conviction. There is no evidence to support the prediction that death anxiety should be associated with lowered fecundity. Paranormal beliefs are associated with religious beliefs, and the relationship between paranormal beliefs and death anxiety is similarly inconsistent. Ritual healing theory proposes that anomalous experiences occurring in the context of altered states of consciousness during shamanic rituals were the experiential source of beliefs in God, spirit, and the paranormal. Individuals high in hypnotizability were more susceptible to the beneficial health effects of shamanic healing rituals, resulting in selection for this heritable trait, facilitating the evolution of religious and paranormal experiences and beliefs. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]