Study Links Karma Beliefs to Self-Serving Bias

A new study published in the journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality finds that people's beliefs about karma are strongly self-serving, with 59-70% of participants crediting their own good outcomes to karma and 92% attributing others' misfortunes to karmic punishment. While this pattern appeared across cultures, it was less pronounced in non-Western countries. The research attributes these tendencies to self-positivity bias and a desire for a just world. Notably, the study suggests these beliefs can reinforce social prejudices and affect how people respond to others' suffering. The findings underscore the psychological motivations behind karmic thinking and its broader impact on social attitudes and policy. The research included participants from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds.