An Exploration of the Functions of Religious Monumental Architecture from a Darwinian Perspective

Abstract

In recent years, the cognitive science of religion has displayed a keen interest in religions' social function, bolstering research on religious prosociality and cooperativeness. The main objective of this article is to explore, from a Darwinian perspective, the biological and psychological mechanisms through which religious monumental architecture (RMA) might support that specific function. A frequently held view is that monumental architecture is a costly signal that served vertical social stratification in complex large-scale societies. In this paper we extend that view. We hypothesize that the function(s) of RMA cannot be fully appreciated from a costly signaling perspective alone, and invoke a complementary mechanism, namely sensory exploitation. We propose that, in addition to being a costly signal, RMA also often taps into an adaptive “sensitivity for bigness.” The central hypothesis of this paper is that when cases of RMA strongly stimulate that sensitivity, and when commoners become aware of the costly investments that are necessary to build RMA, then this may give rise to a particular emotional response, namely awe. We will try to demonstrate that, by exploiting awe, RMA promotes and regulates prosocial behavior among religious followers and creates in them an openness to adopt supernatural beliefs.

Up speeds you down. Awe-evoking monumental buildings trigger behavioral and perceived freezing

“…In psychological studies on awe, pictures and clips of vast natural scenes and phenomena (e.g., grand waterfalls, huge mountain ranges) are often used to provoke awe (Saroglou, Buxant & Tilquin, 2008;Rudd, Vohs, & Aaker, 2012;Joye & Bolderdijk, 2015;Piff et al, 2015), and experiences of nature have been listed as amongst the most frequent elicitors of awe (Shiota, Keltner, & Mossman, 2007). Given their enormous scale and height it should come as no surprise that instances of monumental architectural structures (e.g., cathedrals) are also often pinpointed as potential man-made elicitors of awe (Keltner & Haidt, 2003;Joye & Verpooten, 2013;Díaz-Vera, 2015;Piff et al, 2015).…”

“…Animals exploit this bias in so-called dominance/threat displays, where they attempt to threat and ward off rivals through selfaggrandizement (e.g., by extending arms and legs, by pilo-erection;De Waal, 1982). Recent research has interpreted certain instances of monumental architecture as built threat displays (Joye & Verpooten, 2013), through which rulers and elites sought to intimidate potential rivals and to consolidate their superior position with respect to commoners (Neiman, 1998).…”

“…Based on the fact that instances of monumental architecture have been considered as emotionally charged environments (Joye & Verpooten, 2013;Alcorta & Sosis, 2005), or even as "affective weapons" (Gordillo, 2014), we set out to investigate how such buildings would emotionally affect individuals, and what kind of physical/motor behavior would be associated with the emotional impact of such buildings.…”

“…Specifically, throughout the animal kingdom many organisms are biased to associate vastness in size and height with power (Schubert, 2005;Joye & Verpooten, 2013) and formidability (Holbrook, Fessler, & Navarrete, 2015). Animals exploit this bias in so-called dominance/threat displays, where they attempt to threat and ward off rivals through selfaggrandizement (e.g., by extending arms and legs, by pilo-erection;De Waal, 1982).…”

The psychology of rituals: An integrative review and process-based framework

“…In turn, this would affect how one feels about others with whom the experience is shared. Meaningful environments-such as the monumental architecture of religious centers of worship-may enhance the specialness of the ritual, further increasing a sense of group connectedness (e.g., Joye & Verpooten, 2013). In other words, doing a ritual in a mosque or temple would elicit greater cohesion compared with doing the exact same ritual in a more mundane, less awe-inspiring setting .…”