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God’s punishment and public goods: A test of the supernatural punishment hypothesis in 186 world cultures

Johnson, Dominic D. P.·2005·Human Nature

DOI 10.1007/s12110-005-1017-0

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Abstract

Cooperation towards public goods relies on credible threats of punishment to deter cheats. However, punishing is costly, so it remains unclear who incurred the costs of enforcement in our evolutionary past. Theoretical work suggests that human cooperation may be promoted if people believe in supernatural punishment for moral transgressions. This theory is supported by new work in cognitive psychology and by anecdotal ethnographic evidence, but formal quantitative tests remain to be done. Using data from 186 societies around the globe, I test whether the likelihood of supernatural punishment-indexed by the importance of moralizing "high gods"-is associated with cooperation.

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Authors: Johnson, D. D. P.
Affiliations: Princeton University (US)
Corresponding author: Johnson, Dominic D. P.
ORCID: Johnson, Dominic D. P.
Venue: Human Nature
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published: 2005-12
Volume: 16
Issue: 4
Pages: 410-446
ISSN: 1045-6767 (ISSN-L)
1936-4776
DOI: 10.1007/s12110-005-1017-0
OpenAlex: W2004532904
Cited by: 323
References: 100
Citations by year: 2026: 9 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 17
FWCI: 13.36
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations: Human Nature (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
Keywords: supernatural punishment, public goods, cooperation, religious beliefs, enforcement costs, cross-cultural comparison, evolution of cooperation

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God’s punishment and public goods: A test of the supernatural punishment hypothesis in 186 world cultures

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