A fascinating analysis of the evolution of religion from the internationally renowned evolutionary psychologistWhen did humans develop spiritual thought What is religions evolutionary purpose And in our increasingly secular world why has it enduredEvery society in the history of humanity has lived with religion. In How Religion Evolved evolutionary psychologist Professor Robin Dunbar tracks its origins back to what he terms the mystical stance the aspect of human psychology that predisposes us to believe in a transcendent world and which makes an encounter with the spiritual possible. As he explores world religions and their many derivatives as well as religions of experience practised by huntergatherer societies since time immemorial Dunbar argues that this instinct is not a peculiar human quirk an aberration on our otherwise efficient evolutionary journey.