The Existential Function of Intrinsic Religiousness: Moderation of Effects of Priming Religion on Intercultural Tolerance and Afterlife Anxiety

• Published in: Journal for the scientific study of religion Vol. 52; no. 3; pp. 508 - 523
• Main Authors: Van Tongeren, Daryl R., Raad, Jennifer M., McIntosh, Daniel N., Pae, Jessica
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, NJ Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.09.2013; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Anxiety; Cognition & reasoning; Death; death anxiety; Effects; existential security; Experiments; General subjects. History of religions. Religious anthropology; History and sciences of religions; Individuals; Intercultural communication; intrinsic religion; meaning; priming; Religion; Religions; Religiosity; Security; Spirituality; Studies in religion; Threat; Tolerance; Methodology; History of religions
• ISSN: 0021-8294; 1468-5906
• DOI: 10.1111/jssr.12053

Managing existential concerns is theorized to be a key function of religion. We posit that priming religion should be related to greater existential security for those high in intrinsic religiosity. In Experiment 1, priming religion increased intercultural tolerance among individuals who were highly intrinsically religious but decreased it for those low in intrinsic religiousness. In Experiment 2, intrinsic religiousness again moderated the effects of the prime, suggesting that priming religion resulted in attenuated afterlife anxiety for intrinsically religious individuals but greater anxiety for individuals low in intrinsic religiousness. Religious reminders appeared to provide existential security—evidenced by tolerance and reduced death anxiety—only to those high in intrinsic religiousness and can be threatening to those low in intrinsic religiousness. Existential outcomes are a specific case in which intrinsic religiousness can moderate the effects of religious primes, suggesting that religion plays a different existential role for different people.