Credit: (AP Photo/ Joe Cavaretta, File 

Religions have been studying human behavior for thousands of years - long before science got into the game. And for Christians, the seven deadly sins have offered a moral and social framework to get folks on the straight and narrow. Neuroscientist Jack Lewis says: we can use that framework to inform our future decisions. We talk to Lewis, author of the new book “The Science of Sin: Why We Do The Things We Know We Shouldn’t,” about the biological side of this religious list. 

Three Takeaways:

• Humans are social creatures. We thrive on human interaction. But according to Lewis, behavior considered sinful, like greed, leads to social isolation. And being ostracized has adverse consequences - confirmed by science - for both the mind and body. 
• Lewis says that pride can be a double-edged sword. There’s a big difference between feeling it and expressing it. This also applies to other sins, like lust. Lewis describes sexual attraction as a natural human emotion. But once these feelings lead to infidelity, the potential social loss can be tremendous.
• Lewis, who is an atheist, believes that ancient Christian teachings can nevertheless guide our modern moral compass. If we study them through a scientific lens, he argues, we can combine and apply the best teachings from both religion and neuroscience.

More Reading:

• The movie “Seven,” starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, follows a series of murders based on the seven deadly sins. The movie’s screenwriter, Andrew Kevin Walker, talks with Uproxx about the film. 
• Narcissism is on the rise. The Conversation finds that technology and a breakdown of social norms are the main culprits.  
• But at least wrath is on the decline! Author Steven Pinker tells NPR that world is becoming less violent. Recently, we talked with Patrick Sharkey about America’s crime decline.