Are the places that superhuman beings purportedly act and dwell randomly or arbitrarily distributed? Inspired by theoretical work in cognitive science of religion, descriptions of superhuman beings (e.g., ancestors, demons, ghosts, gods, spirits) were solicited from informants in 20 countries on five continents, resulting in 108 usable descriptions, including information about these beings’ properties, their dwelling location, and whether they were the target of rituals. Whether superhuman beings are the subject of religious and ritual practices appeared to co-vary in relation to both features of physical geography and cognitive factors. Good gods were more likely the focus of religious practices than evil gods, and where the gods are thought to dwell mattered. If either the being was thought to dwell in a dangerous place or a resource rich place, it was more likely to have practices directed at it.

据说超人的活动场所是随机分布还是任意分布的？受宗教认知科学理论工作的启发，从五大洲20个国家/地区的线人那里征求了对超人的描述（例如，祖先，恶魔，鬼魂，神灵，神灵），得到了108种可用的描述，包括有关这些生物的信息。财产，其居住地点，以及它们是否是礼仪的目标。在自然地理特征和认知因素方面，超人是否是宗教和仪式习惯的主题似乎都各不相同。善恶的神比邪恶的神更可能成为宗教活动的焦点，而认为神居住的地方也很重要。如果有人认为某人住在危险的地方或资源丰富的地方，