What Cargo Cult Rituals Show Us About Human Nature

What a surprising cultural practice in Melanesia suggests about humanity—and why rituals are a social technology, writes xygalatas

Research shows that humans have intuitive expectations about ritual efficacy that operate unconsciously.

Ritual is a social technology as ancient as our species. While its forms may vary, its role in our lives remains virtually unchanged.On a tropical island in the Southwest Pacific, a few dozen men gather in the rainforest. They are wearing long trousers but no shoes or shirts, and red paint marks the initials U.S.A. on their bare chests. Carrying thick bamboo poles painted with red stripes, the men greet each other cordially and muck around for a while.

Their destination is a clearing in the forest that looks like a landing strip. But the only airplane present is a full-size wooden replica of a light aircraft. On one side of the strip lies a control tower made of bamboo. On the other sits a satellite dish built of mud and straw. Undeterred by the apparent lack of any actual aviation technology, some of the men light torches and place them alongside the runway. Others use flags to wave landing signals.

And when they did that, metal birds appeared and dropped all kinds of goods for them. The indigenous observers concluded that the strange rituals were causing the cargo to arrive.

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