What makes humans nice?

The conservatives argue that religion and religious practices primes human consciousness to exhibit empathy and understanding of fellow beings. They contend that morality requires a belief in god. It is claimed that if you think about God, you believe someone is watching and therefore people tend to behave better. They invoke a few studies which appear to indicate that atheists are less charitable than god-fearing people in donating blood or money, or in helping homesless people. Further, the relatively larger philanthropic activity in a more god-fearing America, as against the other western countries, is claimed as confirmation of the "religion makes people nice" hypothesis.

The liberals argue that it is a strong sense of community that makes humans nice to each other. They cite the example of "god-less" societies of Scandinavia, with its expansive welfare and health care services, a strong social capital and sense of community feeling. The Danes and Swedes are religious without believing in God - they get married in church, have their babies baptized, give some of their income to the church, and feel attached to their religious community. In other words, their religion is secularized in belief and practice. And even without religion they have some of the lowest crime, suicide and anti-social activity rates, coupled with the highest human development indicators.

American atheists, in contrast, are often left out of community life. It has been found that scattered individuals who are excluded from communities do not receive the benefits of community, nor do they feel willing to contribute to the communities that exclude them.

It therefore appears fairly safe to assume that God or no-God, it is the "social being" dimension of humans that makes them nice towards each other. Humans are social beings, and we are happier, and better, when connected to others. This is also the moral of sociologist Robert Putnam's seminal work on American life, Bowling Alone, where he argues that voluntary association with other people is integral to a fulfilled and productive existence—it makes us "smarter, healthier, safer, richer, and better able to govern a just and stable democracy."

(HT: Slate)