“Spiritual but not religious”: Cognition, schizotypy, and conversion in alternative beliefs

Abstract

The spiritual but not religious (SBNR) are a growing population in secularizing societies. Yet, we know little about the underlying psychology of this group or their belief profile. Based on an individual difference approach, we address this knowledge gap by comparing SBNR with religious and non-religious participants. In a sample of Americans (n=1013), we find that the SBNR differ from non-religious and religious participants in a number of ways. SBNR participants are more likely to hold paranormal beliefs and to have an experiential relationship to the supernatural (e.g. have mystical experiences and feelings of universal connectedness), but are similar to religious participants in their profile of cognitive biases. SBNR participants score higher on measures of schizotypy than the religious or non-religious. Reported conversions from one group (religious, SBNR, or non-religious) to another since childhood corresponds with predictable differences in cognitive biases, with dualism predicting conversion to religion and schizotypy predicting conversion to SBNR.

Is Japan Religious?

“…However, a different pattern was evident amongst the self-identified Japanese atheists in our sample (n = 218), with only 9% offering a positive response to the SBS item concerning the existence of God and 17% endorsing the existence of 'spiritual beings'. These results run parallel to findings from research conducted in a variety of countries outside Japan examining the views of the religiously non-affiliated (Ammerman 2013;Willard and Norenzayan 2017) and the prevalence of supernatural beliefs or alternative spirituality in 'secular' societies (Glendinning 2006;Hamplová and Nešpor 2009;Josephson-Storm 2017;Lambert 2004;Tacey 2004;Voas 2008). The broad takeaway from such research is that while traditional religious affiliation and self-identification display substantial declines in secular societies, this should not be assumed as demonstrating an equivalent decrease in broader supernatural beliefs.…”

Cognitive Biases and Religious Belief: A Path Model Replication in the Czech Republic and Slovakia With a Focus on Anthropomorphism

“…Given this, an absence of a positive relationship between mentalizing and anthropomorphism is an interesting puzzle for future research. One possibility is that mentalizing, measured as the ability to use mental states appropriately to understand other people, and anthropomorphism, measured as the promiscuous projection of mental states to the world at large, are more distinct from each other than previously thought (see Willard & Norenzayan, 2017). Overall, the EQ has its limitations, as it conflates accuracy and propensity in mental state reasoning (the latter being the most relevant aspect of mentalizing as it relates to supernatural belief).…”

Cognitive Biases and Religious Belief: A path model replication in the Czech Republic and Slovakia with a focus on anthropomorphism

“…Given this hypothesis, an absence of a positive relationship between mentalizing and anthropomorphism is an interesting puzzle for future research. One possibility worth exploring is that mentalizing, measured as the propensity to use mental states appropriately to understand other people, and anthropomorphism, measured as the promiscuous projection of mental states to the world at large, are more distinct from each other than previously thought (Willard & Norenzayan, 2017).…”