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The ability to attribute mental states — beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge, etc. — to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions that are different from one's own. In religion, this can explain how individuals comprehend the existence of deities or spiritual entities with mental states.

The evolutionary predisposition to infer the presence of an agent behind events. This can lead to belief in supernatural agents in religion, where natural occurrences may be attributed to the actions of gods, spirits, or other deities.

A tendency in human cognition to attribute agency and intentionality to random events, often leading to detecting more agents in the environment than are actually present. In religion, this can result in seeing the hand of god or gods in natural phenomena and life events.

This theory suggests that religious rituals are designed to engage and exploit our natural cognitive processes, thereby making religious beliefs more memorable and emotionally salient. Rituals in religion often involve repetition, sensory stimulation, and emotional arousal, which can aid in belief transmission and retention.

The inclination to see purpose or intentional design in objects and events. In religious contexts, this can lead to beliefs that the universe has a purposeful design by a deity, and events occur as part of a divine plan.

Ideas that violate certain expectations of the physical world, yet remain simple enough to be easily remembered, such as a talking tree or a god who is omniscient. These concepts are memorable and often found in religious beliefs and myths since they strike a balance between the ordinary and the extraordinary.

A social psychological theory that suggests there are several innate and universally available psychological systems at the foundation of intuitive ethics. Religion often interacts with these foundations, such as sanctity/purity or authority/respect, to form moral communities and rituals.

The cognitive disposition to attribute a hidden essence to things that conveys identity and causes their observable properties. In religious contexts, this can manifest as the idea that certain objects, places, or people are imbued with a sacred essence that gives them special religious significance.

These theories posit that human cognition encompasses two types of processing: an intuitive, automatic system (System 1) and a reflective, rule-based system (System 2). In terms of religion, System 1 may guide immediate belief in gods or spirits, while System 2 may engage in theological reflection or religious apologetics.