Publication
Anthropomorphism of God Elicits Beliefs in Tempting Fate, Explained by Beliefs in Supernatural Control and Moderated by Temporal Contiguity
Publisher:
Center for Open Science
Date:
26-02-2022
DOI:
10.31234/OSF.IO/RF9H4
Abstract: Why are people reluctant to tempt fate, such as boasting about their perfect health? Eight studies (3 pre-registered) and a meta-analysis unpacked the general effects, mediational, and moderational processes underlying beliefs in tempting fate. With anthropomorphism of God and temporal contiguity (i.e., the extent to which two events are perceived as temporally close to each other) as conceptual frameworks, we found that the tendency to imbue God with a human-like mind is positively correlated with beliefs in tempting fate (Studies 1a-c). Participants believed in tempting fate more strongly when they had been induced to represent God in high (vs. low) anthropomorphic terms, manipulated by selective exposure to God-related information (Study 2) or a writing task (Studies 3-6). We ruled out various alternative accounts, including negativity bias (Studies 1c, 4, 6) and intrinsic religiosity (Studies 1a-c, 5). Beliefs in supernatural control mediated the link between anthropomorphism of God and beliefs in tempting fate (Studies 1c). Finally, zooming into the moderating role of temporal contiguity, anthropomorphism of God invokes beliefs in tempting fate when a fate-tempting behavior (e.g., bragging about one’s driving skills) and the corresponding outcome (e.g., getting into a car accident) were perceived as close together in time, but not when they were temporally far apart (Study 6). Together, these findings highlight the causal links between anthropomorphism of God and beliefs in tempting fate, mediated by beliefs in supernatural control, moderated by temporal contiguity. The present findings have theoretical implications for a host of religious and superstitious thinking across cultures.