Religion and Well-being: The Moderating Role of Culture and the Oxytocin Receptor (OXTR) Gene
Research suggests that religiosity, or the importance of religion in one’s life, may be related to well-being, but little is known about how culture and genes may play a role in this relationship. Given that religion in a North American cultural context tends to emphasize social affiliation less tha...
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| Contributors: | ; |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2011
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| In: |
Journal of cross-cultural psychology
Year: 2011, Volume: 42, Issue: 8, Pages: 1394-1405 |
| Further subjects: | B
OXTR
B oxytocin B Well-being B Health B Genes B Religiosity B Culture |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Research suggests that religiosity, or the importance of religion in one’s life, may be related to well-being, but little is known about how culture and genes may play a role in this relationship. Given that religion in a North American cultural context tends to emphasize social affiliation less than in an East Asian cultural context and that some people may be genetically predisposed to be more socially sensitive than others, the way religion is linked to well-being may depend on the interplay between cultural context and genetic make-up. The current study examined how culture (i.e., European Americans vs. Koreans) and a specific gene polymorphism (i.e., oxytocin receptor polymorphism rs53576) may interact to impact the association between religiosity and psychological well-being. Results showed that among people who were more genetically predisposed toward social sensitivity (i.e., G/G genotype), Koreans had greater psychological well-being if they were more religious; however, European Americans with the G/G genotype had lower psychological well-being if they were more religious. These findings suggest that religion may benefit well-being for those who are genetically predisposed to be socially sensitive but only to the extent that the cultural context provides adequate opportunities for social affiliation. |
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| ISSN: | 1552-5422 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of cross-cultural psychology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0022022111412526 |