Psychology of Religion

New research suggests that a person's own religious beliefs play an important role in how they perceive harassment of atheist employees. The study, published in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, found that Evangelical Christians are less likely to perceive a...

In general, most Western Christians and non-believers alike tend to associate God with “upper space” (i.e., heaven, higher power) and the devil with “lower space” (i.e., depths of hell, underground). New research published in Religion, Brain, & Behavior provides more...

New research published in Justice Quarterly call into question the long-term effectiveness of religious programming in prisons. The study found no evidence that religious engagement in prison was associated with reduced recidivism among a group of inmates with substance abuse...

A study published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion found that believing in supernatural evil is a strong predictor of more restrictive attitudes on immigration. The researchers suggest that people who endorse strict boundaries between spiritual good and evil...

Agnosticism and atheism are often categorized into one “nonreligious” group in research despite these being distinct belief systems. New research published in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality finds that people do have distinct stereotypes that differentiate agnosticism and atheism from...

A large study published in the journal Political Psychology suggests that the link between conspiracy belief and religiosity is rooted in cognitive similarities between the two beliefs. The overall findings suggest that people with higher conspiracy belief also tend to be more...

Both parenthood and parental care motivation are linked to higher levels of religiosity, according to new research published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. The study provides evidence that parents are drawn to religion because it fosters social norms that...

The number of Americans who identify as Christian has been steadily declining in recent years. New research published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology suggests that learning about these changes in demographics leads to a perceived threat to one’s...

Religion can be a significant, comforting part of many peoples’ lives and has been linked to positive mental health outcomes. A study published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion suggests a more complicated relationship between religion and...

Religion can play a major role in many people's lives, but it often benefits men over women. A new study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society suggests that men are less religious in countries with higher levels of gender...

People who support Christian nationalism in the United States tend to perform worse on a test of religion's role in American history, according to new research published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

A study published last year (Perry & Whitehead, 2021) suggested that conservative Protestant men are more insecure in their sexual performance and masculinity. But new research published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion empirically tested these claims...

A new study published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion suggests that the link between religious affiliation and punitiveness in the United States is more complex than previously thought. The research found that religious affiliations, particularly the...

Poverty has a weaker impact on well-being in developing countries, and a new study suggests that national religiosity can explain this effect. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that religion helps alleviate the...

New research sheds light on why being religious is positively associated with perceiving meaning in one's life. While religiousness is associated with a sense of social significance, the findings provide evidence that what is more important is that religiousness is...