The Consequences of Anthropomorphic and Teleological Beliefs in a Global Pandemic
To describe something in terms of its purpose or function is to describe its teleology. Previous studies have found that teleological beliefs are positively related to anthropomorphism, and that anthropomorphism decreases the perceived unpredictability of non-human agents. In the current study, we e...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/14/2/146 |
| _version_ | 1797298878610931712 |
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| author | Andrew J. Roberts Simon Handley Vince Polito |
| author_facet | Andrew J. Roberts Simon Handley Vince Polito |
| author_sort | Andrew J. Roberts |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To describe something in terms of its purpose or function is to describe its teleology. Previous studies have found that teleological beliefs are positively related to anthropomorphism, and that anthropomorphism decreases the perceived unpredictability of non-human agents. In the current study, we explore these relationships using the highly salient example of beliefs about the coronavirus pandemic. Results showed that both anthropomorphism and teleology were negatively associated with perceived uncertainty and threat, and positively associated with self-reported behavioural change in response to the pandemic. These findings suggest that highly anthropomorphic and teleological individuals may view coronavirus as agentive and goal-directed. While anthropomorphic and teleological beliefs may facilitate behavioural change in response to the pandemic, we also found that the associated reduction in uncertainty and threat may be detrimental to behavioural change. We discuss the implications of these findings for messaging about global events more broadly. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:41:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3b326f9fb3a24ea287b0efcc32c85646 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:41:30Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-3b326f9fb3a24ea287b0efcc32c856462024-02-23T15:07:48ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2024-02-0114214610.3390/bs14020146The Consequences of Anthropomorphic and Teleological Beliefs in a Global PandemicAndrew J. Roberts0Simon Handley1Vince Polito2School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, AustraliaOffice of Higher Degree Research Training and Partnership, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, AustraliaSchool of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, AustraliaTo describe something in terms of its purpose or function is to describe its teleology. Previous studies have found that teleological beliefs are positively related to anthropomorphism, and that anthropomorphism decreases the perceived unpredictability of non-human agents. In the current study, we explore these relationships using the highly salient example of beliefs about the coronavirus pandemic. Results showed that both anthropomorphism and teleology were negatively associated with perceived uncertainty and threat, and positively associated with self-reported behavioural change in response to the pandemic. These findings suggest that highly anthropomorphic and teleological individuals may view coronavirus as agentive and goal-directed. While anthropomorphic and teleological beliefs may facilitate behavioural change in response to the pandemic, we also found that the associated reduction in uncertainty and threat may be detrimental to behavioural change. We discuss the implications of these findings for messaging about global events more broadly.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/14/2/146teleologyintentional stanceanthropomorphismdual-process theorycoronavirus |
| spellingShingle | Andrew J. Roberts Simon Handley Vince Polito The Consequences of Anthropomorphic and Teleological Beliefs in a Global Pandemic Behavioral Sciences teleology intentional stance anthropomorphism dual-process theory coronavirus |
| title | The Consequences of Anthropomorphic and Teleological Beliefs in a Global Pandemic |
| title_full | The Consequences of Anthropomorphic and Teleological Beliefs in a Global Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | The Consequences of Anthropomorphic and Teleological Beliefs in a Global Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Consequences of Anthropomorphic and Teleological Beliefs in a Global Pandemic |
| title_short | The Consequences of Anthropomorphic and Teleological Beliefs in a Global Pandemic |
| title_sort | consequences of anthropomorphic and teleological beliefs in a global pandemic |
| topic | teleology intentional stance anthropomorphism dual-process theory coronavirus |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/14/2/146 |
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