Despite the wide occurrence of ritual behavior in humans and animals, much of its causal underpinnings, as well as evolutionary functions, remain unknown. A prominent line of research focuses on ritualization as a response to anxiogenic stimuli. By manipulating anxiety levels, and subsequently assessing their motor behavior dynamics, our recent study investigated this causal link in a controlled way. As an extension to our original argument, we here discuss 2 theoretical explanations of rituals-ritualized behavior and automated behavior-and their link to anxiety. We propose that investigating participant's locus of attention can discriminate between these 2 models.

Department of Anthropology and CT Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences University of Connecticut Storrs CT USA; Interacting Minds Centre Aarhus University Aarhus Denmark

Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences Comenius University in Bratislava Bratislava Slovakia

LEVYNA Laboratory for the Experimental Research of Religion Department for the Study of Religions Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic

LEVYNA Laboratory for the Experimental Research of Religion Department for the Study of Religions Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic; Department of Anthropology and CT Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences University of Connecticut Storrs CT USA

Religion Programme Department of Theology and Religion University of Otago Dunedin New Zealand

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