Are relying on science and on religion to make sense of the world related to different domains of adaptive behavior and well-being?

Résumé

Individuals vary in their reliance on science and on religion to make sense of the world. We aimed to determine if these two approaches to making meaning differentially associated with specific domains of adaptive behaviors and well-being, and the extent to which these associations would be moderated by their conjoint (interactive) effects. Participants were 301 US adults who completed online surveys. Bivariate associations largely supported hypotheses-religious and science worldviews related to different types of adaptive behavior and well-being. However, when conjoint effects were considered, both reliance on religion and on science related to multiple behaviors spanning emotional and logical behaviors and well-being. The few interaction effects noted suggested that very high levels of either worldview were maladaptive. Findings highlight the need to consider and assess reliance on religion and reliance on science and consider their conjoint effects when studying their potential for leading to adaptive behaviors and well-being.