Reflective Thinking Predicts Disbelief in God Across 19 Countries

Abstract

In the present study, we tested three hypotheses about relationships between reflective thinking, intuitive thinking (both measured using the Cognitive Reflection Test; CRT), and belief in God or gods (BiG) in university students across 19 culturally and geographically diverse countries (n = 7,771). In support of our first hypothesis, we found a negative relationship between reflective thinking and BiG; and in support of our second hypothesis, we found a positive relationship between intuitive thinking and BiG. Contrary to our third hypothesis, we found no evidence that measuring CRT prior to measuring BiG decreased BiG. Given that this is the first large cross-cultural test of these hypotheses to have a preregistered analysis plan, the first to hold education constant across countries, and the first to use both Bayesian and frequentist methods, these results considerably bolster the evidence in support of the first two hypotheses and against the third hypothesis.