Analysis reveals distinct effects of traumatic and cooperative myths on trust and group cohesion.
We propose that historical myths fall into two distinctive categories: Traumatic and cooperative. Traumatic myths, highlighting collective suffering, can undermine trust and foster conspiracy theories, whereas cooperative myths, emphasizing collective action, enhance group cohesion and within-group coalition building. Psychological and sociological evidence supports these divergent impacts of historical myths both in nations and social movements.
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Bilewicz et al. (2025) studied this question.
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