The DOI matches its Crossref record; 64 of the 74 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Cooperation and Commune Longevity: A Test of the Costly Signaling Theory of Religion
Abstract
The costly signaling theory of religion posits that religious rituals and taboos can promote intragroup cooperation, which is argued to be the primary adaptive benefit of religion. To test this theory, the authors collected historical data on the constraints and ritual requirements that eighty-three 19th-century U.S. communes imposed on their members. All communes must solve the collective action problem of cooperative labor to survive; thus, they are an ideal population to assess the impact of ritual and taboo on intragroup cooperation. The authors evaluated whether communes that imposed costlier requirements survived longer than less demanding communes and whether costly requirements and religiosity interact to promote cooperation. The results support aspects of the costly signaling theory of religion and reveal new avenues for its development. The authors discuss some of the shortcomings of the theory and explore ways to expand the theory that incorporate additional features of ritual and religious belief.
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In the citing paper
“and historical evidence shows that religious groups that have costly rituals are more successful (Sosis & Bressler, 2003).”
From The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework (2018) · cites this paper as Sosis & Bressler, 2003
In the citing paper
“Empirical evidence for the costly signaling theory includes an analysis of historical communes in the US, which were more likely to survive if they were religious: strict religious communes (with more prohibitions on food, sex, etc.) were more likely to survive than less strict groups (Sosis & Bressler, 2003).”
From The Challenge of Evolution to Religion (2019) · cites this paper as Sosis & Bressler, 2003
In the citing paper
“Sosis and Bressler (2003) found that longevity for religious communes was positively related to the magnitude of the costly acts required for membership within a commune (e.g., restriction from alcohol and sex).”
From Parasite-stress promotes in-group assortative sociality: The cases of strong family ties and heightened religiosity (2012) · cites this paper as Sosis and Bressler 2003
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Wilson, D. S. (2002) · University of Chicago Press eBooks · doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226901374.001.0001 · Cited by 1,135
The cultural evolution of prosocial religions
Norenzayan, A., Shariff, A. F., Gervais, W. M., Willard, A. K., McNamara, R. A., Slingerland, E., & Henrich, J. (2016) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x14001356 · Cited by 934
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Metadata
- Authors
- Sosis, R., & Bressler, E. R.
- Affiliations
- University of Connecticut (US)
- McMaster University (CA)
- ORCID
- Sosis, Richard
- Venue
- Cross-Cultural Research
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2003-05
- Volume
- 37
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 211-239
- ISSN
- 0094-3673 (ISSN-L)
- 1069-3971
- 1552-3578
- OpenAlex
- W2044683788
- Cited by
- 569
- References
- 74
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 64 · 2019: 39 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 29 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 24 · 2012: 24
- FWCI
- 37.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cross-Cultural Research (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Violence, Religion, and Philosophy
- Keywords
- religious rituals, taboos, communes, collective action, religious constraints, religious beliefs
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