Moral emotions underlie
puritanical morality

      Our research group published a review, “Moral emotions underlie puritanical morality,” in Behavioral and Brain Sciences in October 2023, revealing the importance of moral emotions in puritanical morality. The article adds to the theory presented by Fitouchi et al. and provides a new perspective on our understanding of puritanical morality.

    In the target article, Fitouchi et al. build a new theory that puritanical morality is developed for promoting cooperation by facilitating self-control (regardless its efficiency). Although Fitouchi et al. have elucidated the cognitive and evolutionary foundations of their cooperation-based theory with sufficient evidence, they leave the emotional foundation of puritanical morality unclear. Are there any emotions underlying puritanical morality? What are they? We would like to extend Fitouchi et al.’s theory by proposing moral emotions such as guilt and shame as characteristic emotions in puritanical morality.

    Our proposition is based on three reasons: (1) violations of puritanical norms induce guilt and shame; (2) guilt and shame support self-control; and (3) guilt and shame enhance cooperation.

    Additionally, we keep an open mind about whether other moral emotions are involved in puritanical morality. For instance, several studies have demonstrated a link between gratitude and self-control. In sum, our extension contributes to filling in the missing part of Fitouchi et al.’s theory (i.e., the emotional foundation of puritanical morality) and setting a new direction for future research.

    The first author of the article is Associate Professor Ruida Zhu of Sun Yat-sen University, and Professor Chao Liu of Beijing Normal University is the final and corresponding author. Chao Liu was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Major Project of National Social Science Foundation, and the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission. Ruida Zhu was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the International Postdoctoral Exchange Fellowship Program.

Paper information and download links:

Zhu, R., & Liu, C. (2023). Moral emotions underlie puritanical morality. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 46, E321. doi:10.1017/S0140525X23000353 [PDF]

The target article: 

Fitouchi L, André JB, Baumard N. Moral disciplining: The cognitive and evolutionary foundations of puritanical morality. Behav Brain Sci. 2022 Sep 16;46:e293. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X22002047. PMID: 36111617.