Abstract

Hunger often hinders sociality and well-being. Why, then, do many religions require members to become hungry by practicing fasting? Moreover, fasting periods are often accompanied by calls for charitable giving. We outline a new project designed to examine the seemingly paradoxical effects of religious fasting on prosocial behavior and well-being across several religious traditions. We will use a variety of approaches, including Google search data, survey data, field experiments, and lab experiments to explore these effects and their potential mechanisms.

Reference

Jordan W. Moon (Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse), “The Paradoxical Effects of Religious Fasting”, IAST Lunch Seminar, Toulouse: IAST, October 28, 2022, 12:45–13:45, room Auditorium 4.