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Adaptive narratives and fantastical falsehoods?

Aaron D Lightner
Published in: The Behavioral and brain sciences (2023)
Johnson et al. make a strong case for Conviction Narrative Theory, but it remains unclear why so many adaptive narratives include supernatural causes and other falsehoods. Focusing on religions, I argue that an adaptive decision-making system might include supernatural falsehoods because they simplify complex problems, they are sensitive to long-term incentives, and they evoke strong emotions in a communicative context.
Keyphrases
  • decision making
  • mental health
  • hepatitis c virus
  • human immunodeficiency virus