“Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?” The Effect of Thinking About Being Ostracized by God on Well-Being and Prosocial Behavior

Abstract

Religion and how people evaluate their relation with God are important for many people. The authors therefore hypothesized that people who espoused a high belief in God would respond negatively when primed with Bible passages that suggested exclusion rather than inclusion. Across two studies, the authors predicted and found that the prospect of being excluded by God decreased well-being and prosocial behavior, especially for individuals intrinsically involved in their faith. Finally, this difference in prosocial behavior was mediated by control and not by other indices of well-being.

Keywords

ostracism well-being helping prosocial behavior religion social exclusion

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