A classic question of motivational psychology asks whether fear of punishment or hope of reward is more effective in influencing human behavior. A recent study from the University of Oregon answers the question—and in distinctly theological terms.

Azim Shariff of the UO's Culture and Morality Lab commented: "The key finding is that, controlling for each other, a nation's rate of belief in hell predicts lower crime rates, but the nation's rate of belief in heaven predicts higher crime rates, and these are strong effects … At this stage, we can only speculate about mechanisms, but it's possible that people who don't believe in the possibility of punishment in the afterlife feel like they can get away with unethical behavior. There is less of a divine deterrent."

Possible Preaching Angle:

Whether or not there are completely healthy emotional and theological underpinnings to our understanding of how the afterlife impacts our choices today, one thing is for certain. Our thoughts about hell and heaven matter today.