Reminders of secular authority reduce believers' distrust of atheists
Thursday, April 19, 2012 - 11:31
in Psychology & Sociology
What's the group that least agrees with Americans' vision of their country? According to many sociological surveys, it's atheists. Previous research suggests that the dislike of atheists mostly comes from distrust, driven by the belief that people act better when they feel like they're being watched by God. But new research shows that reminding people of various sources of secular authority -- like government -- may have the same effect.