BACKGROUND The religious beliefs and spirituality of patients on hemodialysis (HD) therapy have not been studied extensively. Studies of the dialysis population seem to indicate that religion may be associated with increased patient satisfaction with life and increased levels of social support. METHODS Using multiple religiosity scales and scales to assess patient satisfaction with life and s...

Religious belief in its most ideal form can be seen as a powerful force to create purposive transformations by transmitting ecologically positive habit of practice and attitudes of mind to succeeding generations that share similar religious beliefs. This concept assumes even greater significance on considering howmore than half of the world’s population embraces some sort of religious beliefs t...

Using data from approximately 13,000 individuals in 14 different OECD regions, we find that culture, as expressed by religious beliefs, generates public goods contributions. We characterize individuals into systems of religious beliefs using latent class analysis and find that some types of beliefs influence pro-environment behaviors and attitudes, even after controlling for religious affiliati...

The reasons behind the cultural persistence of religious beliefs throughout human history and prehistory still generate unanswered questions requiring scientific explanations. Within the framework of the cognitive science of religion, this article reviews experimental evidence supporting human predisposition for religious thinking and focuses on the hypothesis that a reason why religious belief...

See related article, pages 993–997. Stroke affects many dimensions of human behavior and performance, often with profound and long-lasting consequences. Recent years have seen dramatic progress in the measurement and alleviation of the neurological, physical, cognitive and psychological consequences of stroke. In contrast, the adjustments that many patients have to make to a restricted life and...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Spiritual aspects of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have not been fully assessed. This study described the religious and existential dimensions of spirituality of patients with CKD, provided evidence to support construct validity of the ESRD Spiritual Beliefs Scale, and examined the relationship between constructs o...

Though beliefs in Heaven and Hell are related, they are associated with different personality characteristics and social phenomena. Here we present three studies measuring Heaven and Hell beliefs' associations with and impact on subjective well-being. We find that a belief in Heaven is consistently associated with greater happiness and life satisfaction while a belief in Hell is associated with...

This article reports a prospective study of religiousness and recovery from heart surgery. Religiousness and other psychosocial factors were assessed in 142 patients about a week prior to surgery. Those with stronger religious beliefs subsequently had fewer complications and shorter hospital stays, the former effect mediating the latter. Attendance at religious services was unrelated to complic...

Motivated thinking leads people to perceive similarity between the self and ingroups, but under some conditions, people may recognize that personal beliefs are misaligned with the beliefs of ingroups. In two focal experiments and two replications, we find evidence that perceived belief similarity moderates ingroup favoritism. As part of a charity donation task, participants donated money to a c...