Beyond Beliefs: Multidimensional Aspects of Religion and Spirituality in Language

Religion and spirituality are multidimensional constructs including practices, rituals, and experiences, though they are often treated solely in terms of belief. In this study (N = 2,389), we investigate dimensions examined in previous linguistic analysis studies-religious affiliation and experiences of unity-and new dimensions: religious services, prayer, meditation, and religious/spiritual experience. We replicate previous findings related to the linguistic correlates of religious affiliation, in which language categories of religion, social, and positive emotion categories are positively related, while negative emotion and insight (a marker of analytic thinking) are negatively related. However, we find that other dimensions (practices, prayer, meditation, and experiences) show a different profile of language associations. We also examined dimensions of religion/spirituality across believers and non-believers. We find that among non-believers, associated language points to emotions--such as inspiration and gratitude--rather than mentions of religious doctrine. Taken together, these results reinforce that religion and spirituality are multidimensional constructs with divergent profiles in natural language use.