How Thinking About God Transforms Self Recognition and AI Preferences Among Christians and Shintoists in Japan

This study investigated how God saliency affects self-recognition and AI preferences across different Japanese religions, via two studies: a three-religion comparison (N=168) and a focused examination of Christians and Shintoists (N=120). Participants wrote about God or daily activities and completed measures of the small self, human imperfection, human imperfection acceptance, divine love, evaluation of AI-generated art, and investment decisions. Results showed that God salience consistently increased the small self across both studies; however, unlike previous Western findings, it did not affect perceptions of human imperfections or AI preferences. Notably, animistic tendencies emerged as significant predictors of the small self (Study 1) and imperfection acceptance (Study 2), suggesting that viewing the divine as more intimate and equal, rather than absolute, shapes these relationships in the Japanese context. These findings highlight how cultural and religious backgrounds influence the relationship between religious thought and AI preferences, demonstrating the need for culturally diverse perspectives.