Religious People Only Live Longer in Religious Cultural Contexts: A Gravestone Analysis
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Religious People Only Live Longer in Religious Cultural Contexts : A Gravestone Analysis. / Ebert, Tobias; Gebauer, Jochen Eberhard; Talman, Jildou R.; Rentfrow, P. Jason.
In: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 119, No. 1, 07.2020, p. 1-6.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Religious People Only Live Longer in Religious Cultural Contexts
T2 - A Gravestone Analysis
AU - Ebert, Tobias
AU - Gebauer, Jochen Eberhard
AU - Talman, Jildou R.
AU - Rentfrow, P. Jason
PY - 2020/7
Y1 - 2020/7
N2 - Religious people live longer than nonreligious people, according to a staple of social science research. Yet, are those longevity benefits an inherent feature of religiosity? To find out, we coded gravestone inscriptions and imagery to assess the religiosity and longevity of 6,400 deceased people from religious and nonreligious U.S. counties. We show that in religious cultural contexts, religious people lived 2.2 years longer than did nonreligious people. In nonreligious cultural contexts, however, religiosity conferred no such longevity benefits. Evidently, a longer life is not an inherent feature of religiosity. Instead, religious people only live longer in religious cultural contexts where religiosity is valued. Our study answers a fundamental question on the nature of religiosity and showcases the scientific potential of gravestone analyses.
AB - Religious people live longer than nonreligious people, according to a staple of social science research. Yet, are those longevity benefits an inherent feature of religiosity? To find out, we coded gravestone inscriptions and imagery to assess the religiosity and longevity of 6,400 deceased people from religious and nonreligious U.S. counties. We show that in religious cultural contexts, religious people lived 2.2 years longer than did nonreligious people. In nonreligious cultural contexts, however, religiosity conferred no such longevity benefits. Evidently, a longer life is not an inherent feature of religiosity. Instead, religious people only live longer in religious cultural contexts where religiosity is valued. Our study answers a fundamental question on the nature of religiosity and showcases the scientific potential of gravestone analyses.
KW - religiosity
KW - gravestones
KW - longevity
KW - cross-cultural differences
KW - MORTALITY
KW - SELF
KW - DEATH
KW - METAANALYSIS
KW - HEALTH
U2 - 10.1037/pspa0000187
DO - 10.1037/pspa0000187
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 32039617
VL - 119
SP - 1
EP - 6
JO - Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
JF - Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
SN - 0022-3514
IS - 1
ER -
ID: 255102954