Thinking about God inspires risk-taking for believers

Does thinking about faith make religious people more likely to take leaps? A new study says yes, finding that participants were more likely to take risks when thinking about God as a benevolent protector.  

What the researchers say: “While the theoretical link between a belief in God and risk taking has been around for a while, the methods previous studies employed to test this weren’t the strongest, based on current best practices,” said the lead author. “Our carefully designed study confirmed that those who believe God will protect them from negative consequences will feel more confident in pursuing potentially dangerous or uncertain activities because of a perceived safety net.”

The study was published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. The researchers looked specifically at Christian Americans, who are known to believe in a God who protects them from harm. They also focused specifically on what they refer to as “morally neutral” risks.

“We know from previous research that religious people might be less inclined to take risks that have immoral connotations, such as drug use, and we also know that people might feel more encouraged by God to take on risks that are morally positive, like helping a person in need,” the lead author explained.

Instead, the researchers focused on scenarios involving recreational risks like mountain climbing, and social and career-based risks, like moving to a new place to pursue a new job opportunity, finding a reliable link.

White says the findings don’t tell us whether religious people are more likely to pursue risks than non-religious ones, but they may point to a sense of safety a belief in God provides.

“These results support the argument that as Christians go through their daily life, these beliefs about God can be used to make them feel better if they choose to pursue a risk. It does make sense that this relationship between beliefs about God and risky behavior is part of a broader set of religious beliefs that help people cope with uncertainty and fear and stressors in daily life and help them see their lives in a more positive way and therefore, make them more likely to pursue opportunities that they might otherwise avoid.”

So, what? Interesting study. It adds to the body of research which shows that those who attend church or other places of worship on a regular basis tend to live longer, healthier lives. They also tend to do better in their careers.

However, other research has shown that this advantage has more to do with belonging to a supportive community than their belief systems.