It’s a finding that most believers will likely find disheartening. Atheists, on the other hand, will certainly relish in the results. According to research published in the July 2012 issue of Social Psychological and Personality Science,atheists are more driven by compassion to help their fellow man than are highly religious individuals.
Robb Willer, a co-author of the study and a social psychologist at the University of California,described the findings in a recently-released statement.
“Overall, we find that for less religious people, the strength of their emotional connection to another person is critical to whether they will help that person or not,” Willer said. “The more religious, on the other hand, may ground their generosity less in emotion, and more in other factors such as doctrine, a communal identity, or repetitional concerns.”
At the root of the study is the overall question of whether logic, emotion or other factors serve as motivating forces in the decision to help others. But beyond that, the complex nature of religious adherence — or lack thereof — comes into play.
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