Jesse Bering is a research psychologist and Director of the Centre for Science Communication. An award-winning science writer specializing in human behaviour, his first book, The Belief Instinct (2011), was included on the American Library Association’s Top 25 Books of the Year. This was followed by a collection of his previously published essays, Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That? (2012), and Perv (2013), a taboo-breaking work that received widespread critical acclaim and was named as a New York Times Editor’s Choice. His most recent book is Suicidal (2018, published in the UK as A Very Human Ending). All of his books have been translated into many different languages.
An experimental psychologist by training, Bering’s primary research area is the cognitive science of religion and he has published extensively in that field. His work has centred on the cognitive underpinnings of afterlife beliefs, as well as how we ascribe purpose to inherently meaningless life events as a consequence of our species’ evolved psychology, most notably as an artifact of our social cognition. More recently, using controlled studies he has begun to explore people’s ability to cognitively reconcile religious and scientific beliefs when they are faced directly with experiences or information that challenge their worldviews.
As a practicing science communicator, Bering and his work have been featured in numerous documentaries, TV shows, and radio programs, including Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman, Conan, Chelsea Lately, Q&A (Australia), NPR’s All Things Considered, and the BBC. In addition to writing extensively for Scientific American and Slate magazines, his essays and opinion pieces have also appeared in Playboy, The New York Times, The Guardian, Discover, Vice, and others. To learn more, visit www.jessebering.com.
Current teaching
- SCOM 402 The Craft of Storytelling
- SCOM 432 The Craft of Storytelling (Distance)
- SCOM 404 Science Communication Internship
- SCOM 434 Science Communication Internship (Distance)
Research interests
- Cognitive science and religion
- Human sexuality
- Suicidology
- Evolutionary psychology
- Social psychology and science communication
Potential postgraduate projects
- Communicating controversial scientific topics in conflict with religious beliefs
- Experimental (lab-based) approaches to social psychology and science communication
- Cognitive biases and science communication
Current PhD students
- Evan Balkcom – The maintenance of unbelief in light of experiences that challenge it
- Emma Harcourt – The use of scientific language by anti-abortion groups
- Daniel Silva-Luna – Awe in science communication
- Brett Waggoner – Cognitive factors underlying the motivation for a personal legacy
Books
Publications
Silva Luna, D., Bering, J. M., & Halberstadt, J. (2021). Public faith in science in the United States through the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic [Short communication]. Public Health in Practice, 100103. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.puhip.2021.100103
Stojanov, A., Bering, J. M., & Halberstadt, J. (2020). Does perceived lack of control lead to conspiracy theory beliefs? Findings from an online MTurk sample. PLoS ONE, 15(8), e0237771. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237771
Silva Luna, D., & Bering, J. M. (2020). The construction of awe in science communication. Public Understanding of Science. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/0963662520963256
Bering, J. (2019). Why do we see supernatural signs in natural events? In D. J. Slone & W. W. McCorkle, Jr (Eds.), The cognitive science of religion: A methodological introduction to key empirical studies. (pp. 5-14). London, UK: Bloomsbury.
Balkcom, E. R., Alogna, V. K., Curtin, E. R., Halberstadt, J. B., & Bering, J. M. (2019). Aversion to organs donated by suicide victims: The role of psychological essentialism. Cognition, 192, 104037. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2019.104037
Authored Book - Research
Bering, J. (2018). A very human ending: How suicide haunts our species. London, UK: Doubleday, 288p.
Bering, J. (2018). Suicidal: Why we kill ourselves. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 272p.
Bering, J. (2013). Perv: The sexual deviant in all of us. New York, NY: Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 265p.
Bering, J. (2012). Why is the penis shaped like that? And other reflections on being human. New York, NY: Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 301p.
Bering, J. (2011). The belief instinct: The psychology of souls, destiny and the meaning of life. New York: W. W. Norton, 272p.
Authored Book - Other
Bering, J. (2015). Perversões: Os comportamentos sexuais desviantes [Translation of Perv: The sexual deviant in all of us]. Lison, Spain: Temas e Debates, 320p.
Bering, J. (2014). Penisin şekli neden öyle? Ve anatomi, parafili, inanç ve Evrim üzerine düşünceler [Translation of Why is the penis shaped like that? And other reflections on being human]. Ankara, Turkey: Big Bang, 366p.
Bering, J. (2014). Perv: Viaggio nellenostre perversioni [Translation of Perv: The sexual deviant in all of us]. Torina, Italy: UTET, 365p.
Bering, J. (2014). Pervers: Seksuele afwijkingen in ieder van ons [Translation of Perv: The sexual deviant in all of us]. Torina, Italy: De Bezige Bij, 298p.
Chapter in Book - Research
Bering, J. (2019). Why do we see supernatural signs in natural events? In D. J. Slone & W. W. McCorkle, Jr (Eds.), The cognitive science of religion: A methodological introduction to key empirical studies. (pp. 5-14). London, UK: Bloomsbury.
Johnson, D., & Bering, J. (2011). Hand of God, mind of man: Punishment and cognition in the evolution of cooperation. In J. Schloss & M. Murray (Eds.), The believing primate: Scientific, philosophical, and theological reflections on the origin of religion. Oxford Scholarship Online. doi: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557028.003.0002
Hahn-Holbrook, J., Holbrook, C., & Bering, J. (2011). Snakes, spiders, strangers: How the evolved fear of strangers may misdirect efforts to protect children from harm. In J. M. Lampinen & K. Sexton-Radek (Eds.), Protecting children from violence: Evidence-based interventions. (pp. 263-290). New York, NY: Psychology Press. doi: 10.4324/9780203852927
Ingram, G. P. D., Piazza, J. R., & Bering, J. M. (2009). The adaptive problem of absent third-party punishment. In H. Høgh-Olesen, J. Tønnesvang & P. Bertelsen (Eds.), Human characteristics: Evolutionary perspectives on human mind and kind. (pp. 205-229). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars.
Bering, J. M. (2008). How Sartre inadvertently presaged a proper evolutionary science of religion. In J. Bulbulia, R. Sosis, E. Harris, R. Genet, C. Genet & K. Wyman (Eds.), The evolution of religion: Studies, theories and critiques. (pp. 357-364). Santa Margarita, CA: Collins Foundation Press.
Bering, J. M., & Bjorklund, D. F. (2007). The serpent’s gift: Evolutionary psychology and consciousness. In P. D. Zelazo, M. Moscovitch & E. Thompson (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Consciousness. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511816789.023
Povinelli, D. J., Bering, J. M., & Giambrone, S. (2003). Chimpanzees' "pointing": Another error of the argument by analogy? In S. Kita (Ed.), Pointing: Where language, culture, and cognition meet. (pp. 35-68). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. doi: 10.4324/9781410607744
Journal - Research Article
Stojanov, A., Bering, J. M., & Halberstadt, J. (2020). Does perceived lack of control lead to conspiracy theory beliefs? Findings from an online MTurk sample. PLoS ONE, 15(8), e0237771. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237771
Silva Luna, D., & Bering, J. M. (2020). The construction of awe in science communication. Public Understanding of Science. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/0963662520963256
Balkcom, E. R., Alogna, V. K., Curtin, E. R., Halberstadt, J. B., & Bering, J. M. (2019). Aversion to organs donated by suicide victims: The role of psychological essentialism. Cognition, 192, 104037. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2019.104037
Alogna, V. K., Bering, J., Balkcom, E., & Halberstadt, J. (2019). Religious intuitions and the nature of “belief”. Studia Humana, 8(3), 58-68. doi: 10.2478/sh-2019-0025
Bering, J. M., Curtin, E. R., & Jong, J. (2019). Knowledge of deaths in hotel rooms diminishes perceived value and elicits guest aversion. OMEGA, 79(3), 286-312. doi: 10.1177/0030222817709694
White, C., Kinsella, M., & Bering, J. (2018). How to know you've survived death: A cognitive account of the popularity of contemporary post-mortem survival narratives. Method & Theory in the Study of Religion, 30(3), 279-299. doi: 10.1163/15700682-12341431
Shackelford, T. K., Liddle, J. R., Bering, J., & Shalkoski, G. (2014). Unbidden confession as an evolved pre-emptive strategy against punishment: A preliminary investigation with prisoners. Personality & Individual Differences, 61-62, 86-90. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2014.01.010
Heywood, B. T., & Bering, J. M. (2014). “Meant to be”: How religious beliefs and cultural religiosity affect the implicit bias to think teleologically. Religion, Brain & Behavior, 4(3), 183-201. doi: 10.1080/2153599X.2013.782888
Bering, J. (2012). Rats laugh, but not like humans: Do animals other than humans have a sense of humor? Maybe so. Scientific American, 307(1), 74-77. doi: 10.1038/scientificamerican0712-74
Piazza, J., Bering, J. M., & Ingram, G. (2011). "Princess Alice is watching you": Children's belief in an invisible person inhibits cheating. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 109(3), 311-320. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2011.02.003
Piazza, J., & Bering, J. M. (2010). The coevolution of secrecy and stigmatization: Evidence from the content of distressing secrets. Human Nature, 21(3), 290-308. doi: 10.1007/s12110-010-9090-4
Bering, J. (2010). Atheism is only skin deep: Geertz and Markússon rely mistakenly on sociodemographic data as meaningful indicators of underlying cognition. Religion, 40(3), 166-168. doi: 10.1016/j.religion.2009.11.001
Bering, J. (2010). The nonexistent purpose of people: Have our minds evolved to see human beings as types of artefacts? Psychologist, 23(4), 290-293.
Ingram, G. P. D., & Bering, J. M. (2010). Children's tattling: The reporting of everyday norm violations in preschool settings. Child Development, 81(3), 945-957. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01444.x
Piazza, J., & Bering, J. M. (2009). Evolutionary cyber-psychology: Applying an evolutionary framework to Internet behavior. Computers in Human Behavior, 25(6), 1258-1269. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2009.07.002
Piazza, J., & Bering, J. M. (2008). Concerns about reputation via gossip promote generous allocations in an economic game. Evolution & Human Behavior, 29(3), 172-178. doi: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2007.12.002
Piazza, J., & Bering, J. M. (2008). Why hell is other people: Distinctively human psychological suffering. Review of General Psychology, 12(1), 1-8. doi: 10.1037/1089-2680.12.1.1
Bering, J. M. (2006). The cognitive science of souls: Clarifications and extensions of the evolutionary model. Behavioral & Brain Sciences, 29(5), 486-498. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X06499106
Bering, J. M. (2006). The folk psychology of souls. Behavioral & Brain Sciences, 29(5), 453-462. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X06009101
Bering, J. M., & Parker, B. D. (2006). Children's attributions of intentions to an invisible agent. Developmental Psychology, 42(2), 253-262. doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.42.2.253
Bering, J. M., & McLeod, K. (2005). Reasoning about dead agents reveals possible adaptive trends. Human Nature, 16(4), 360-381. doi: 10.1007/s12110-005-1015-2
Bering, J. M., & Johnson, D. D. P. (2005). 'O Lord... You perceive my thoughts from afar': Recursiveness and the evolution of supernatural agency. Journal of Cognition & Culture, 5(1-2), 118-142. doi: 10.1163/1568537054068679
Bering, J. M., Blasi, C. H., & Bjorklund, D. F. (2005). The development of 'afterlife' beliefs in religiously and secularly schooled children. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 23(4), 587-607. doi: 10.1348/026151005X36498
Bering, J. M., & Shackelford, T. K. (2005). Evolutionary psychology and false confession. American Psychologist, 60(9), 1037-1038. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.60.9.1037
Bering, J. M., & Shackelford, T. K. (2004). The causal role of consciousness: A conceptual addendum to human evolutionary psychology. Review of General Psychology, 8(4), 227-248. doi: 10.1037/1089-2680.8.4.227
Bering, J. M. (2004). Consciousness was a "trouble-maker": On the general maladaptiveness of unsupported mental representation. Journal of Mind & Behavior, 25(1), 33-55.
Bering, J. M., & Bjorklund, D. F. (2004). The natural emergence of reasoning about the afterlife as a developmental regularity. Developmental Psychology, 40(2), 217-233. doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.40.2.217
Bjorklund, D. F., & Bering, J. M. (2003). A note on the development of deferred imitation in enculturated juvenile chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Developmental Review, 23(3), 389-412. doi: 10.1016/S0273-2297(03)00021-2
Bering, J. M. (2003). Towards a cognitive theory of existential meaning. New Ideas in Psychology, 21(2), 101-120. doi: 10.1016/S0732-118X(03)00014-X
Bering, J. M. (2003). Religious concepts are probably epiphenomena: A reply to Pyysiäinen, Boyer, and Barrett. Journal of Cognition & Culture, 3(3), 244-254. doi: 10.1163/156853703322336670
Povinelli, D. J., & Bering, J. M. (2002). The mentality of apes revisited. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 11(4), 115-119. doi: 10.1111/1467-8721.00181
Bering, J. M. (2002). Intuitive conceptions of dead agents' minds: The natural foundations of afterlife beliefs as phenomenological boundary. Journal of Cognition & Culture, 2(4), 263-308. doi: 10.1163/15685370260441008
Bjorklund, D. F., & Bering, J. M. (2002). The evolved child: Applying evolutionary developmental psychology to modern schooling. Learning & Individual Differences, 12(4), 347-373. doi: 10.1016/S1041-6080(02)00047-X
Bering, J. M. (2002). The Existential Theory of Mind. Review of General Psychology, 6(1), 3-24. doi: 10.1037/1089-2680.6.1.3
