Regression model with anxiety score as outcome.

Collective rituals, particularly those characterized by synchrony and pain, have been shown to yield positive social and emotional outcomes. The question arises as to whether these findings extend to low-arousal, family-centered rituals and how spiritual beliefs factor into these communal practices. This study set out to examine the interplay between belief, ritual participation, and their effects on anxiety, social cohesion, and prosocial behavior during a low-arousal collective ritual in Mikasa, Japan. Drawing upon a sample of 183 festival participants, we measured belief in ancestors using a novel scale, identifying significant and consistent associations between these beliefs and measures of social cohesion across multiple targets. Moreover, active participation as a festival dancer displayed a positive relationship with feelings of social cohesion, particularly towards other festival attendees and at the national level. On measures of prosocial behavior, ancestral beliefs were positively associated with generosity shown within the festival setting, whereas observers were less generous towards community members than a non-attending control group. Anxiety outcomes displayed a negative relationship with ancestral beliefs and ritual observation but not participation as seen in previous research, suggesting a complex interplay between rituals, emotions, and individual states. These findings provide novel insights into the importance of belief systems and active participation in shaping social bonds and behaviors in the context of collective rituals.

以同步性与痛感为特征的集体仪式（collective ritual），既往研究已证实其可带来积极的社会与情感效益。学界尚存疑问的是，此类结论是否可推广至低唤醒（low-arousal）、以家庭为中心的仪式，以及精神信仰在这类社群实践中如何发挥作用。本研究旨在考察日本三笠市一场低唤醒型集体仪式中，信仰与仪式参与的交互关系，及其对焦虑水平、社会凝聚力（social cohesion）和亲社会行为（prosocial behavior）的影响。本研究招募183名节庆参与者作为研究样本，采用全新编制的量表测量祖先信仰（ancestral beliefs），并发现此类信仰与多维度社会凝聚力指标间存在显著且稳定的关联。此外，作为节庆舞者的主动参与，与社会凝聚力感知呈正相关，尤其体现在与其他节庆参与者的联结，以及国家层面的群体凝聚力感知上。在亲社会行为指标上，祖先信仰与节庆场景中的慷慨行为呈正相关；而仪式旁观者对社区成员的慷慨程度显著低于未参与仪式的对照组。焦虑水平与祖先信仰及仪式旁观行为呈负相关，但与仪式参与无此关联——这与既往研究中观察到的仪式参与相关效应不符，提示仪式、情绪与个体状态间存在复杂的交互作用。本研究结果为理解集体仪式场景中，信仰体系与主动参与对社会联结及行为的塑造作用提供了全新的学术视角。