How Honest Are You About Your Religion? A Summary of Chapter 8 of The H Factor of Personality

In this blog post, I will summarize chapter 8 of the book titled “The H Factor of Personality” by Lee and Ashton, printed in 2012. The book introduces the Honesty-Humility factor, one of the six basic dimensions of human personality, and explores its implications for various aspects of people’s lives. Chapter 8 focuses on the relationship between the H factor and religion.

The authors begin by noting that religion is a complex phenomenon that can be studied from different perspectives, such as theology, sociology, psychology, and neuroscience. They acknowledge that religion can have positive effects on people’s well-being, morality, and social cohesion, but they also point out some potential drawbacks, such as intolerance, violence, and dogmatism. They argue that the H factor can help explain some of the variations in religious beliefs and behaviors among individuals and groups.

According to the authors, people who are low in H tend to be more religious than those who are high in H. This is because low-H people are more likely to seek material benefits, social status, and personal security from religion, while high-H people are more likely to value honesty, fairness, and altruism for their own sake. Low-H people are also more likely to endorse authoritarian and conservative religious views, such as believing in a literal interpretation of sacred texts, a punitive God, and a rigid moral code. High-H people, on the other hand, are more likely to embrace liberal and progressive religious views, such as accepting diversity, questioning dogma, and emphasizing compassion.

The authors support their claims with empirical evidence from various sources, such as surveys, experiments, and cross-cultural comparisons. For example, they cite a study that found that low-H people were more likely to agree with statements such as “God will punish those who do not follow His rules” and “There is only one true religion”, while high-H people were more likely to agree with statements such as “God is too big for any one religion” and “All religions have some truth in them”. They also mention an experiment that showed that low-H people were more likely to cheat on a test when they believed that God was watching them, while high-H people were less likely to cheat regardless of their belief in God’s presence. They also refer to a cross-cultural comparison that revealed that countries with higher average levels of H tended to have lower levels of religiosity and higher levels of human development.

They also discuss some exceptions and nuances to their general findings, such as the role of education, intelligence, and personality traits other than H. They conclude by suggesting some practical implications of their theory for interreligious dialogue, conflict resolution, and social harmony.

Here is a point form summary of chapter 8 Religion from the book titled “The H Factor of Personality” by Lee and Ashton, printed in 2012:

- **Relationship between H and religiosity**
— High-H people tend to be more religious than low-H people in terms of beliefs, practices, and attitudes.
— This pattern is found across different cultures and religions.
- **Possible explanations for the link**
— Social norms and conformity: High-H people follow the moral rules of their religion, while low-H people violate them.
— Altruism and cooperation: High-H people cooperate with others for the common good, while low-H people exploit them.
- **Exceptions and nuances to the pattern**
— Other personality factors can influence religiosity, such as Emotionality, Agreeableness, and Openness to Experience.
— These factors can affect the emotional, interpersonal, and cognitive aspects of religiosity, respectively.
- **Implications of the H factor for religion**
— High-H people may promote peace and harmony among different religious groups, while low-H people may cause conflict and violence.
— High-H people may support policies that benefit the poor and disadvantaged, while low-H people may oppose them.