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Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Aug 2020When encountering a stranger for the first time, adults spontaneously attribute to them a wide variety of character traits based solely on their physical appearance,... (Review)
Review
When encountering a stranger for the first time, adults spontaneously attribute to them a wide variety of character traits based solely on their physical appearance, most notably from their face. While these trait inferences exert a pervasive influence over our behaviour, their origins remain unclear. Whereas nativist accounts hold that first impressions are a product of gene-based natural selection, the Trait Inference Mapping framework (TIM) posits that we learn face-trait mappings ontogenetically as a result of correlated face-trait experience. Here, we examine the available anthropological evidence on ritual in order to better understand the mechanism by which first impressions from faces are acquired. Consistent with the TIM framework, we argue that examination of ritual body modification performed by communities around the world demonstrates far greater cross-cultural variability in face-trait mappings than currently appreciated. Furthermore, rituals of this type may be a powerful mechanism through which face-trait associations are transmitted from one generation to the next. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours'.
Topics: Attitude; Body Modification, Non-Therapeutic; Ceremonial Behavior; Face; Humans; Judgment; Visual Perception
PubMed: 32594871
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0435 -
Emergencias : Revista de La Sociedad... Apr 2022
Topics: Ceremonial Behavior; Humans
PubMed: 35275468
DOI: No ID Found -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Aug 2020This paper argues that rituals are mechanisms of resource management. The argument is based on four observations: (i) over the course of hominin evolution, fitness... (Review)
Review
This paper argues that rituals are mechanisms of resource management. The argument is based on four observations: (i) over the course of hominin evolution, fitness became contingent on psychological states; (ii) these psychological states can be understood as 'resources', not unlike material resources such as energy, food or fuel; (iii) ritual 'manages' these psychological resources-meaning that it cultivates, builds and directs them; and (iv) ritual management can be analytically decomposed, providing a new descriptive tool for understanding rituals and predictions about ritual survival. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours'.
Topics: Ceremonial Behavior; Humans
PubMed: 32594870
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0429 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Aug 2020The potential for rituals in non-human great apes (apes) is an understudied topic. We derive a minimal definition of ritual and then examine the currently available... (Review)
Review
The potential for rituals in non-human great apes (apes) is an understudied topic. We derive a minimal definition of ritual and then examine the currently available evidence for it in untrained and non-enculturated apes. First, we examine whether such apes show evidence for the two main components of our minimal definition of ritual: symbolism and copying. Second, we examine if there are actual cases already identifiable today that may fit all aspects of our minimal definition of ritual-or whether there are at least cases that fit some aspects (proto-ritual). We find that apes are not likely to spontaneously practise minimal ritual, but we claim that the highest expected likelihood of occurrence is in the results-copying domain. Yet, we did not find actual cases of minimal ritual in apes-including those involving environmental results. We did, however, find some cases that may match at least part of our minimal ritual definition-which we termed proto-ritual. At least two out of three potential cases of such proto-rituals that we identified (rain dance, object-in-ear and surplus nest-making procedures) do revolve around results. Overall, apes do not show much, or very clear, evidence for even minimal ritual, but may sometimes show proto-ritual. However, dedicated ape ritual studies are currently lacking, and future work may identify ape ritual (or clearer cases of proto-ritual). We discuss the implications of our preliminary finding for inferences of ritual in the last common ancestor of humans and apes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours'.
Topics: Animals; Ceremonial Behavior; Gorilla gorilla; Pan paniscus; Pan troglodytes; Pongo
PubMed: 32594873
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0423 -
Ugeskrift For Laeger Sep 2019This review discusses female genital mutilation (FGM), which is a culturally founded ritual of unknown origin. The definition is intentional altering or injuring the... (Review)
Review
This review discusses female genital mutilation (FGM), which is a culturally founded ritual of unknown origin. The definition is intentional altering or injuring the female genitals for non-medical reasons. The WHO estimates, that more than 200 million women have sequelae from FGM. Acute compli-ca-tions range from haemorrhage and infection to death, while the most common chronic complications are vulvar pain, problems with micturition and childbirth, recurrent infec-tions, dysmenorrhoea, and dyspareunia. Favourable surgical techniques are available. Hitherto, these techniques are limited to certain types of FGM.
Topics: Ceremonial Behavior; Circumcision, Female; Female; Humans; Plastic Surgery Procedures; Vulvodynia
PubMed: 31543098
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal of General Internal Medicine Aug 2023
Topics: Humans; Ceremonial Behavior; Hair
PubMed: 37095332
DOI: 10.1007/s11606-023-08210-7 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Aug 2020Convergent developments across social scientific disciplines provide evidence that rituals are a psychologically prepared and culturally inherited behavioural hallmark...
Convergent developments across social scientific disciplines provide evidence that rituals are a psychologically prepared and culturally inherited behavioural hallmark of our species. The dramatic diversity of ritual practices ranges from simple greetings to elaborate religious ceremonies, from the benign to life-threatening. Yet our scientific understanding of this core human trait remains limited. Explaining the universality, functionality and diversity of ritual requires insight from multiple disciplines. This special issue integrates research from anthropology, archaeology, biology, primatology, cognitive science, psychology, religious studies and demography to build an interdisciplinary account of ritual. The objective is to contribute to an integrative explanation of ritual by addressing Tinbergen's four key questions. These include answering ultimate questions about the (i) phylogeny and (ii) adaptive functions of ritual; and proximate questions about the (iii) mechanisms and (iv) ontogeny of ritual. The intersection of these four complementary lines of inquiry yields new avenues for theory and research into this fundamental aspect of the human condition, and in so doing, into the coevolution of cognition and culture. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours'.
Topics: Adaptation, Biological; Animals; Biological Evolution; Ceremonial Behavior; Cultural Evolution; Hominidae; Humans; Phylogeny
PubMed: 32594869
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0419 -
Behavioural Brain Research Sep 2020Ritual behaviour, intended as a specific, repetitive and rigid form of action flow, appears both in social and non-social environmental contexts, representing an... (Review)
Review
Ritual behaviour, intended as a specific, repetitive and rigid form of action flow, appears both in social and non-social environmental contexts, representing an ubiquitous phenomenon in animal life including human individuals and cultures. The purpose of this contribution is to investigate an evolutionary continuum in proximate and ultimate causes of ritual behavior. A phylogenetic homology in proximal mechanisms can be found, based on the repetition of genetically programmed and/or epigenetically acquired action patterns of behavior. As far as its adaptive significance, ethological comparative studies show that the tendency to ritualization is driven by the unpredictability of social or ecological environmental stimuli. In this perspective, rituals may have a "homeostatic" function over unpredictable environments, as further highlighted by psychopathological compulsions. In humans, a circular loop may have occurred among ritual practices and symbolic activity to deal with a novel culturally-mediated world. However, we suggest that the compulsion to action patterns repetition, typical of all rituals, has a genetically inborn motor foundation, thus precognitive and pre-symbolic. Rooted in such phylogenetically conserved motor structure (proximate causes), the evolution of cognitive and symbolic capacities have generated the complexity of human rituals, though maintaining the original adaptive function (ultimate causes) to cope with unpredictable environments.
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Ceremonial Behavior; Gene-Environment Interaction; Humans; Motor Activity; Phylogeny
PubMed: 32544508
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112772 -
The Veterinary Record Jun 2014
Topics: Abattoirs; Animal Welfare; Animals; Ceremonial Behavior; Religion
PubMed: 24948175
DOI: 10.1136/vr.g4065 -
The Behavioral and Brain Sciences Nov 2022Contrary to the author's proposed classification scheme, I argue that most magical practices are better viewed as "instrumental" rather than "ritualistic." Much...
Contrary to the author's proposed classification scheme, I argue that most magical practices are better viewed as "instrumental" rather than "ritualistic." Much ethnographic and historical evidence shows that magicians and ritual experts often have elaborate causal theories regarding how magic actions lead to the putative outcome, and the "physical/mechanical" versus "supernatural" distinction in causal mechanisms needs serious reconsideration.
Topics: Humans; Magic; Ceremonial Behavior
PubMed: 36353859
DOI: 10.1017/S0140525X2200139X