Candace S Alcorta
Biographic Data
| ID | 631053 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Candace S Alcorta |
| GIVEN NAMES | Candace S |
| FAMILY NAME | Alcorta |
| SIGNATURE | ALCORTA C S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Connecticut |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 32 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 17 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2003 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Hominin brain evolution and human culture: A commentary on Why Cultures Persist
Rethinking the roots of human collective ritual
Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author
Evolutionary Perspectives on Religion and Violence
Religion and violence share a complex and enduring history. Viewing violence and religion from an evolutionary perspective situates both within a broader framework of aggressive, affiliative, and signaling behaviors across species. In this work the authors review genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors that influence violence, distinguishing two types of aggression that differ in underlying physiology and intent. The use of communicative s…
Threats, Gods, and plastic brains: Explaining the religion/health relationship
Are mental disorders and other psychiatric symptoms “by-products of brain mechanisms that have evolved to protect us from harm”? Can religious beliefs impact mental disorders and psychiatric sympto
Elements of Ritual and Violence. Margo Kitts
Cerebral lateralization and religion: The roles of ritual and the DMN
Johnson, Dominic. 2016. God Is Watching You: How the Fear of God Makes Us Human
Johnson, Dominic. 2016. God Is Watching You: How the Fear of God Makes Us Human. New York: Oxford University Press. 286 pages. Hardcover $15.72
Religion, social signaling, and health: A psychoneuroimmunological approach
Over the past several decades a growing body of epidemiological, sociological, and medical research has demonstrated a largely positive correlation between religion and health (Alcorta, 2010; Koeni
Beyond the building blocks of religion: A commentary on the Hilbert problem essays
Meditation and the DMN: An intentional approach to attention
Sharp's model posits an important relationship between the brain's “default mode network” (DMN) and meditation. However, three central tenets of this model are problematic from both evolutionary an
Modes of knowing: How kataphatic practice impacts our brains and behaviors
When God Talks Back is one of those rare books that not only provides “a good read,” but also good science. It is an excellent ethnography and an effective empirical examination of the proximate me
Ritual, Religion, and Violence: An Evolutionary Perspective
This chapter, which discusses the association between religion and violence, also addresses why suicide terrorists are willing to offer their lives for their life-affirming religions. Religious violence and “sacred pain” have long been significant components in the mythology and ritual of Western religious traditions. Religious rituals differ widely across cultures. Music intensifies the ritual experience itself, transforming the ordinary into th…
Religious ritual and modes of knowing: Commentary on the cognitive resource depletion model of ritual
Numerous scholars from Durkheim (1915/1969) to Rappaport (1999) have asserted that ritual plays a central role in communicating collective ideas and inculcating religious belief. Yet, the proximate
Religion, health, and the social signaling model of religion
Research conducted over the past several decades has demonstrated a positive correlation between religion, health, and longevity (Hummer, Rogers, Narn, & Ellison, 1999; Koenig, 2008; Matthews et al
Religious Behavior and the Adolescent Brain
Ritual, emotion, and sacred symbols: The evolution of religion as an adaptive complex
Signaling, solidarity, and the sacred: The evolution of religious behavior
Anthropologists have repeatedly noted that there has been little theoretical progress in the anthropology of religion over the past fifty years. 1–7 By the 1960s, Geertz 2 had pronounced the field dead. Recently, however, evolutionary researchers have turned their attention toward understanding the selective pressures that have shaped the human capacity for religious thoughts and behaviors, and appear to be resurrecting this long‐dormant but impo…
Signaling, solidarity, and the sacred: The evolution of religious behavior
Anthropologists have repeatedly noted that there has been little theoretical progress in the anthropology of religion over the past fifty years. 1–7 By the 1960s, Geertz 2 had pronounced the field dead. Recently, however, evolutionary researchers have turned their attention toward understanding the selective pressures that have shaped the human capacity for religious thoughts and behaviors, and appear to be resurrecting this long‐dormant but impo…
Ritual, emotion, and sacred symbols: The evolution of religion as an adaptive complex
Religious Behavior and the Adolescent Brain
Religion, health, and the social signaling model of religion
Research conducted over the past several decades has demonstrated a positive correlation between religion, health, and longevity (Hummer, Rogers, Narn, & Ellison, 1999; Koenig, 2008; Matthews et al
Ritual, Religion, and Violence: An Evolutionary Perspective
This chapter, which discusses the association between religion and violence, also addresses why suicide terrorists are willing to offer their lives for their life-affirming religions. Religious violence and “sacred pain” have long been significant components in the mythology and ritual of Western religious traditions. Religious rituals differ widely across cultures. Music intensifies the ritual experience itself, transforming the ordinary into th…
Religious ritual and modes of knowing: Commentary on the cognitive resource depletion model of ritual
Numerous scholars from Durkheim (1915/1969) to Rappaport (1999) have asserted that ritual plays a central role in communicating collective ideas and inculcating religious belief. Yet, the proximate
Meditation and the DMN: An intentional approach to attention
Sharp's model posits an important relationship between the brain's “default mode network” (DMN) and meditation. However, three central tenets of this model are problematic from both evolutionary an
Modes of knowing: How kataphatic practice impacts our brains and behaviors
When God Talks Back is one of those rare books that not only provides “a good read,” but also good science. It is an excellent ethnography and an effective empirical examination of the proximate me
Johnson, Dominic. 2016. God Is Watching You: How the Fear of God Makes Us Human
Johnson, Dominic. 2016. God Is Watching You: How the Fear of God Makes Us Human. New York: Oxford University Press. 286 pages. Hardcover $15.72
Religion, social signaling, and health: A psychoneuroimmunological approach
Over the past several decades a growing body of epidemiological, sociological, and medical research has demonstrated a largely positive correlation between religion and health (Alcorta, 2010; Koeni
Beyond the building blocks of religion: A commentary on the Hilbert problem essays
Elements of Ritual and Violence. Margo Kitts
Cerebral lateralization and religion: The roles of ritual and the DMN
Threats, Gods, and plastic brains: Explaining the religion/health relationship
Are mental disorders and other psychiatric symptoms “by-products of brain mechanisms that have evolved to protect us from harm”? Can religious beliefs impact mental disorders and psychiatric sympto
Evolutionary Perspectives on Religion and Violence
Religion and violence share a complex and enduring history. Viewing violence and religion from an evolutionary perspective situates both within a broader framework of aggressive, affiliative, and signaling behaviors across species. In this work the authors review genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors that influence violence, distinguishing two types of aggression that differ in underlying physiology and intent. The use of communicative s…
Rethinking the roots of human collective ritual
Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author
Hominin brain evolution and human culture: A commentary on Why Cultures Persist
Psychology (11 works) · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology (11 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior (8 works) · Philosophy (5 works) · Religion and Society Interactions (5 works) · Art (4 works) · Cognitive science (4 works) · Computer Science (4 works) · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation (4 works)