Dr Ryan McKay

I'm interested in delusions, self-deception, religion and morality. Here are some sample research questions:

* How can we explain the formation and maintenance of delusions (e.g., the belief that one’s wife has been replaced by an impostor, or that one is dead)?

* To what extent are false beliefs biologically and/or psychologically adaptive?

* Are ‘self-deceptive’ individuals better at deceiving others?

* Does religion promote prosocial behaviour (e.g., charitable giving, punishment of selfish individuals)?

* Are rituals for atonement and absolution (e.g., Catholic confession, Jewish Yom Kippur) effective mechanisms for addressing the moral transgressions of group members?

* To what extent are religious and atheistic beliefs held ‘defensively’?

For more information see my personal webpage

** I'm currently working on a large international project called "Ritual, Community & Conflict" (see http://www.cam.ox.ac.uk/ritual/). Rituals are a powerful means of forming, inspiring, and coordinating groups. Our aim is to identify the key elements of ritual that are effective in generating intense ingroup cohesion and outgroup hostility.