1. Belief in the Supernatural as an Adaptation
David Viitala
November 29, 2006

2. Supernatural Belief
Religion or spiritual beliefs are found all over the world, in almost every culture
About 3/4 of the world’s population follows one of the following four:
Christianity (33%)
Islam (21%)
Hinduism (14%)
Buddhism (6%)

3. Supernatural Belief Supernatural experiences include:
Religious experiences
Spiritual experiences
Near-death experiences
Out-of-body / astral projection
Feeling the presence of spirits
Feeling possessed by spirits, demons
Auditory and visual hallucinations
and so on
These experiences are found world-wide

4. Beginnings of Supernatural Belief
Early humans had been performing mortuary practices as long as years ago
Neanderthals and early humans placed the deceased in a sleeping position, with objects surrounding
This does not necessarily indicate a religious belief, or the idea of having a god
However this does show an awareness of death, perhaps what could come after death, as well as feelings of loss, love, and mysticism

5. Beginnings of Supernatural Belief
Thousands of years go by, and rituals become more diverse and detailed
Beliefs represented in paintings, artifacts
Eventually organized religion emerges

6. Some say… Some say we believe in God, or a god, because
there truly is a God
There very well could be?
The universe is very
mystical!

7. However…
In terms of evolution, the belief in supernatural beings or worlds may have been an adaptive trait, increasing the fitness of early humans
How?

8. Belief in supernatural as an adaptation
Early humans would have benefited from living in groups
Avoiding predators
Hunting and gathering
Investments in kin
Sharing of resources
These groups would have been in competition with other groups for resources and habitats, thereby increasing the need for a strong, united group
Cooperation and cohesion would have been important

9. Belief in supernatural as an adaptation
Humans are self-interested
In a group of cooperators, a cheater could thrive
However, collective action and cooperation can be increased if there is a credible threat of punishment
Cooperation has costs, but a threat of punishment can have higher costs

10. Belief in supernatural as an adaptation
It would have became harder to cheat with the arrival of two abilities:
Capacity to infer the contents of other minds
Language
These new selection pressures would have been entirely novel
Much greater social transparency

11. Belief in supernatural as an adaptation
The belief in supernatural beings and a threat of punishment, either immediate or in the after-life, may have increased unity and deterred transgression
A god could dictate what is good, and what is bad
Cooperation requires some level of morality

12. Some supportive evidence…
Sosis (2000) found that cooperation is higher among those who are more devout
Roes and Raymond (2003) found that there is a modest but significant correlation between size of society and likelihood to be characterized by a belief in moralizing gods
Johnson (2005) found that in a sample of 186 human societies, high gods are significantly associated with larger societies

13. It could also be in part…
It is important in nature for organisms to find patterns and develop expectancies
It was perhaps a “natural consequence of human brains fearful of invoking the calamities of nature upon themselves as a result of their actions”
Belief in the supernatural could have been an effective coping mechanism

14. Some argue…
There are no brain regions specifically for religious practices
No animal precursors
Deficiency in religiosity does not seem to impede ability to survive (at least in today’s world)
No evidence that religiosity is heritable

15. Biological basis
The regions of the brain that have been linked to spiritual experiences when activated include:
The amygdala
The hippocampus
The temporal lobe
These experiences can include:
trance-like states, astral projection, dreaming, near-death experiences, and hallucinations of ghosts, spirits, demons, angels, etc
As well as intense experiences involving sexuality, fear, and rage
Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon have been found to have well developed inferior temporal lobes and limbic systems

16. Biological basis
Particularly the right side of the brain seems to be involved in dreaming and hallucinations
The right temporal lobe is more active during REM, and the left is more-so during non-REM sleep
LSD-induced hallucinations are more greatly reduced with the damage of the right temporal lobe

17. Conclusions Evolution… it’s complicated
It is possible that the belief in supernatural agents would have been the result of a number of selective pressures
Evolutionary theory explains why religion is found everywhere

18. Thank You and you and you and you and you and you and you and you