Religious people are 145;nicer146;, finds study

And, what8217;s more interesting is that the study found that believers acting for the greater good may be doing so to enhance their own reputation among friends and acquaintances, the 8216;Daily Mail8217; reported.

Lead scientist Dr Ara Norenzayan of British Columbia University said that the debate over whether religion improves behaviour had too often been driven by opinion and anecdote.

8220;We wanted to look at the hard scientific evidence.8221; In fact, their study into the links between religion and 8220;pro-social8221; behaviour showed that religious and spiritual thoughts reduced rates of cheating in games and increased trust between strangers.

In one experiment, volunteers who had been told that a dead student8217;s ghost had been seen in the experiment room cheated less on a test than those who had not 8212; children said a fictional character called Princess Alice was watching them were less likely to disobey their instructions.

Other experiments showed that good behaviour 8220;is more likely when religious thoughts are fresh in the mind8221; 8212; when such behaviour boosts someone8217;s reputation.

In another experiment, the volunteers were given the choice of volunteering to raise money for a sick child who could not pay his medical bills. Some were told that they would almost certainly be asked to help 8212; others were told that they were unlikely to be called upon.

8220;Only in the latter situation was a link between religiosity and volunteering evident,8221; the researchers said.