From Bear Attacks to Neutral Faces

Abstract: Generalized world beliefs (e.g., “the world is safe,” “the world is beautiful”) have been theorized to shape how people perceive most people, things, and environments as the individual navigates life. While some research on Belief in a Just World is consistent with this theory, few studies have tested other world beliefs. Four studies (pre-registered, N = 2,841) found that dangerous world belief (DWB) is associated with greater perception of specific real-world threats – even when the potential source of danger was identical. In Studies 1 and 2, people in the top quintile for DWB estimated incidences of low-frequency threatening events (e.g., murder, assault, and animal attacks) on average 4.2x higher than those in the bottom quintile. In Studies 3 and 4, people higher in DWB evaluated unfamiliar faces as more criminal and less trustworthy. These associations were specific to dangerous world belief (vs. other negative beliefs), and were robust across multiple covariates, including personality traits, anxiety, and current mood.