The Science of Lay Theories: How Beliefs Shape Our Cognition, Behavior, and Health.

Front Matter....Pages i-xii
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
The Origins of Lay Theories: The Case of Essentialist Beliefs....Pages 3-16
The Motivated Fluidity of Lay Theories of Change....Pages 17-43
Front Matter....Pages 45-45
Lay Theories of Self-control....Pages 47-69
What Are People’s Lay Theories About Mind Wandering and How Do Those Beliefs Affect Them?....Pages 71-93
Lay Theories of Creativity....Pages 95-126
Mindsets About Malleability and Intergroup Relations....Pages 127-156
Effects of Lay Beliefs on the Justice Motive....Pages 157-177
Front Matter....Pages 179-179
Antecedents, Manifestations, and Consequences of Belief in Mind–Body Dualism....Pages 181-205
Lay Theories of the Mind/Brain Relationship and the Allure of Neuroscience....Pages 207-227
Causes and Consequences of the Belief in Free Will....Pages 229-242
Religion and Its Cultural Evolutionary By-products....Pages 243-263
From the Impossible to the Improbable: A Probabilistic Account of Magical Beliefs and Practices Across Development and Cultures....Pages 265-315
Front Matter....Pages 317-317
Mindsets of Body Weight....Pages 319-339
Lay Theories and Metaphors of Health and Illness....Pages 341-354
How Lay Theories Influence Our Mental Health....Pages 355-374
Back Matter....Pages 375-382