When people believe in an omniscient, punishing god, this apparently motivates people to become more altruistic and more charitable to those outside their family and community, especially to those who also possess similar beliefs, according to a new study.

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Researchers from the University of British Columbia say that people who trust others by cooperating and treating them fairly in wider social circles, are due partly because they think that the gods will know if they do not, and will punish them for it. 

In this new study, researchers examined 591 individuals from eight socially diverse communities in Fiji, Brazil, Siberia, Tanzania, Mauritius and Vanuatu. The locals in these regions possess different religions such as Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism including local beliefs and traditions related to animism and ancestor worship.

During an experiment, the participants played a game where they were given the choice to show any financial preference to themselves and their own community or to become biased by following the roll of a die, that would mean giving money to a stranger of the same religion.

The religious beliefs of each participant was also examined via assessment, by questioning the morality of their god or gods, and how their gods would carry out punishment and how much those gods would know about the individual's behavior.

The results revealed that those who believed in a punitive god who is also all-knowing would more likely end up giving more money to strangers who also shared the same religion.

According to lead author of the study, Benjamin Purzycki from the Center for Human Evolution, Cognition and Culture at the University of British Columbia, the results suggest that people who believe that their actions are monitored, judged or punished by a god or deity are more likely to treat others fairly than become more biased.

He adds how people behave a certain way when they believe that someone powerful is watching over them, since there is a threat of punishment, and this can ultimately alter human behavior.

Purzycki also says that the a stronger motivation would be this threat from punishment as opposed to a reward, reflecting human nature which means that when people are driven by reward, they are more prone to do dishonest deeds as opposed to be driven by the looming threat of punishment. 

This finding can also override the evolutionary trait of looking after our own children, where this new study also reveals that when people have more children, they are also more prone to play favorites.

Purzycki says that even if a perfectly logical person would have more children, they are more likely to favor themselves and their local community than different, distant communities even if they shared the same religion.

Researchers say that religiosity was vital in expanding global cooperation among nations and communities, due to trust and fairness that were shown to complete strangers of similar traditions and beliefs.

This new study is published in the journal, Nature.