The dead may kill you: Do ancestor spirit beliefs promote cooperation in traditional small-scale societies
The Journal of Cognition and Culture • Vol/Iss. 1 • Brill • • Published In • Pages: ??•
By White, Claire , Marin, Maya , Fessler, Daniel M.T.
Hypothesis
The living believe they can prevent harm from ancestral spirits.
Note
23% were “confident” and 34% were “very confident”; n=33. All cultures (n=33) presented at least one protective behavior. The majority of those cultures (72%) had more than one protective action, with the most common practices pertaining to conventional mortuary rituals (73%; n=24) as opposed to idiosyncratic behaviors.
| Test Name | Support | Significance | Coefficient | Tail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Descriptive statistics | Support claimed | UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN |
| Variable Name | Variable Type | OCM Term(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Punitive ancestral spirits | UNKNOWN | Cult Of The Dead, Eschatology, Spirits And Gods |
| Preventative action | UNKNOWN | Burial Practices And Funerals |