Anthropological data clearly showed that cultures practicing religions historically had outlived non-religious cultures.
Says the fictional professor Robert Langdon in Dan Brown’s novel Origin. So is that so?
In his article How useful is “Religious Belief” in the Anthropology of Religion Simon Dein shows that religion “radically alters the way in which individuals invest in others”. In other words, religion makes people more social. It seems save to assume that being more social leads to stronger cultures.
What are the cultural benefits of religion?
According to anthropologists religion often helps people be more social.