Estimated costs and benefits of participation in an extreme
ritual in Mauritius

J 2025

Estimated costs and benefits of participation in an extreme ritual in Mauritius

KUNDTOVÁ KLOCOVÁ, Eva; Radek KUNDT; Pushkar PURYAG a Martin LANG

Základní údaje

Originální název

Estimated costs and benefits of participation in an extreme ritual in Mauritius

Autoři

KUNDTOVÁ KLOCOVÁ, Eva ; Radek KUNDT; Pushkar PURYAG a Martin LANG

Vydání

Evolutionary Human Sciences, Cambridge University Press, 2025, 2513-843X

Další údaje

Jazyk

angličtina

Typ výsledku

Článek v odborném periodiku

Obor

50902 Social sciences, interdisciplinary

Stát vydavatele

Velká Británie a Severní Irsko

Utajení

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

Odkazy

URL

Impakt faktor

Impact factor: 2.300 v roce 2024

Označené pro přenos do RIV

Ano

Organizační jednotka

Filozofická fakulta

Klíčová slova anglicky

costly signaling theory; cooperation; religion; ritual; Mauritius

Štítky

rivok

Příznaky

Mezinárodní význam, Recenzováno

Změněno: 4. 11. 2025 15:02, Mgr. Ester Gaja Pučálková, Ph.D.

Anotace

V originále

Humans often participate in physically harmful and demanding rituals with no apparent material benefits. Although such behaviours have traditionally been explained using the lens of costly signalling theory, we question whether the canonical theory can be applied to the case of human cooperative signals and introduce a modification of this theory based on differential benefit estimation. We propose that along with cooperative benefits, committed members also believe in supernaturally induced benefits, which motivate participation in extreme rituals and stabilize their effects on cooperative assortment. Using Thaipusam Kavadi as a prototypical costly ritual, Tamil (ingroup) and Christian (outgroup) participants in Mauritius (N = 369) assessed the cost and benefits of Kavadi participation or hiking. We found that ingroup participants estimated material costs as larger than outgroups, physical costs as lower, and benefits as larger. These findings suggest that estimated costs may vary by modality and cultural expectations (e.g. Kavadi participants are not supposed to display pain), while supernaturally induced benefits were consistently reported as larger by ingroups compared to outgroups. We conclude that differential estimation of ritual benefits, not costs, are key to the persistence of extreme rituals and their function in the assortment of committed members, underscoring the role of differential estimation in the cognitive computation of signal utility.

Návaznosti

GA23-05655S, projekt VaV

Název: Psychologie signalizace: Výzkum komputací umožňujících kooperativní komunikaci

Investor: Grantová agentura ČR, Psychologie signalizace: Výzkum komputací umožňujících kooperativní komunikaci

Citovat

KUNDTOVÁ KLOCOVÁ, Eva; Radek KUNDT; Pushkar PURYAG a Martin LANG. Estimated costs and benefits of participation in an extreme ritual in Mauritius. Evolutionary Human Sciences. Cambridge University Press, 2025, roč. 7, e29, s. 1-17. ISSN 2513-843X. Dostupné z: https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2025.10017.

@article{2527479,
   author = {Kundtová Klocová, Eva and Kundt, Radek and Puryag, Pushkar and Lang, Martin},
   article_number = {e29},
   doi = {https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2025.10017},
   keywords = {costly signaling theory; cooperation; religion; ritual; Mauritius},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {2513-843X},
   journal = {Evolutionary Human Sciences},
   title = {Estimated costs and benefits of participation in an extreme ritual in Mauritius},
   url = {https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2025.10017},
   volume = {7},
   year = {2025}
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - 2527479
AU  - Kundtová Klocová, Eva - Kundt, Radek - Puryag, Pushkar - Lang, Martin
PY  - 2025
TI  - Estimated costs and benefits of participation in an extreme ritual in Mauritius
JF  - Evolutionary Human Sciences
VL  - 7
IS  - e29
SP  - 1-17
EP  - 1-17
PB  - Cambridge University Press
SN  - 2513843X
KW  - costly signaling theory
KW  - cooperation
KW  - religion
KW  - ritual
KW  - Mauritius
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2025.10017
N2  - Humans often participate in physically harmful and demanding rituals with no apparent material benefits. Although such behaviours have traditionally been explained using the lens of costly signalling theory, we question whether the canonical theory can be applied to the case of human cooperative signals and introduce a modification of this theory based on differential benefit estimation. We propose that along with cooperative benefits, committed members also believe in supernaturally induced benefits, which motivate participation in extreme rituals and stabilize their effects on cooperative assortment. Using Thaipusam Kavadi as a prototypical costly ritual, Tamil (ingroup) and Christian (outgroup) participants in Mauritius (N = 369) assessed the cost and benefits of Kavadi participation or hiking. We found that ingroup participants estimated material costs as larger than outgroups, physical costs as lower, and benefits as larger. These findings suggest that estimated costs may vary by modality and cultural expectations (e.g. Kavadi participants are not supposed to display pain), while supernaturally induced benefits were consistently reported as larger by ingroups compared to outgroups. We conclude that differential estimation of ritual benefits, not costs, are key to the persistence of extreme rituals and their function in the assortment of committed members, underscoring the role of differential estimation in the cognitive computation of signal utility.
ER  -

KUNDTOVÁ KLOCOVÁ, Eva; Radek KUNDT; Pushkar PURYAG a Martin LANG. Estimated costs and benefits of participation in an extreme ritual in Mauritius. \textit{Evolutionary Human Sciences}. Cambridge University Press, 2025, roč.~7, e29, s.~1-17. ISSN~2513-843X. Dostupné z: https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2025.10017.

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