Supernatural explanations across 114 societies are more common for natural than social phenomena
Nature Human Behavior • Vol/Iss. Online only • Nature • • Published In • Pages: 1-14 •
By Jackson, Joshua Conrad, Dillion, Danica, Bastian, Brock, Watts, Joseph, Buckner, William, DiMaggio, Nicholas, Gray, Kurt
Hypothesis
Social complexity is positively associated with the supernatural explanations of social phenomena.
Note
In particular, population size, money, land transport, and technological specialization were predictors of more supernatural explanations for social phenomena.
| Test Name | Support | Significance | Coefficient | Tail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phylogenetically controlled two-tailed regression | Supported | p=0.01 | b=0.17 | UNKNOWN |
| Variable Name | Variable Type | OCM Term(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Social Complexity | Independent | Agriculture, Land Transport, Medium Of Exchange, Occupational Specialization, Population, Records, Residence, Settlement Patterns, Social Stratification, Territorial Hierarchy, Writing |
| Supernatural explanation of social phenomena | Dependent | Disasters, Religious Beliefs |