From an evolutionary perspective, religion presents something of a challenge. It is ubiquitous, but in some cases religious cognition and behaviour can be costly - and even dangerous - while serving no obvious function. So why is religion found in every corner of the globe? Is it just a collection of highly successful memes, or a "mind virus" as some dismissively label it? Is it just the inevitable but largely benign by product of minds highly evolved for social living, or are there some real evolutionary benefits to religious cognition? In this talk Kat will discuss existing perspectives from evolutionary perspectives on religion and discuss some of the new directions this field might explore.

Dr Kat Ford is a board member of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and recently completed her PhD at The Centre for Culture and Evolution at Brunel University London.