Existential uncertainty and religion

Abstract Our world is often chaotic, confusing, and unpredictable. In this chapter, we outline psychological theory and empirical research on how and why this aversive feeling of uncertainty can motivate people to turn to religion. We explore how uncertainty influences religious belief from a variety of theoretical perspectives, including uncertainty-identity, reactive approach motivation, compensatory control, and system justification. This research suggests that uncertainty may motivate people to become more religious for a wide variety of reasons—to clarify their own identity, to distract themselves from frustrated goals, to restore their sense of control, or to legitimize and justify the system. We integrate these diverse theories to create a framework of how different types of uncertainty can impact different elements of religious belief. Finally, we conclude by discussing gaps in the current study of uncertainty and religion.