There are always interesting studies coming out of some well known research centers that are worth reading and understanding. Often they are fascinating because of the impact the reported results may have on day-to-day life. At times, research reports are worth a careful review simply because of the interest that the study generates even if the findings have no pragmatic application.

One recent report that is getting a fair amount of media attention suggests that religious people tend to act less on compassion than non-believers when acting charitably. This may be an interesting finding but whether or not it has practical applications is yet to be seen. In a series of three experiments conducted by a team of psychologists at the Universities of California, Berkeley, University of Colorado at Boulder, and the Oregon State University, research teams tested the notion that religious compassion is the motivator for devout people to provide assistance to the needy. The studies included a survey of 1,300 adults and two direct experiments with a group of 101 adults and 200 college students. In all three experiments the researchers determined that less religious people, even people who report that they are agnostic, are more likely to assist strangers than individuals who report themselves as more religious. What triggers their desire to be charitable is what the researchers call compassion.