Malaysian Muslim youths’ beliefs and expectations of reward and punishment in the afterlife: what traits predict greater prosocial behavior?

Research in the cognitive and evolutionary sciences of religion suggests that beliefs in afterlife punishment and reward can promote prosocial behavior. Paradoxically, although Muslims are arguably among the most devout adherents of such beliefs, empirical evidence indicates relatively low levels of prosocial behavior within many Muslim-majority societies. This apparent contradiction constitutes the core focus of the present study. Prior research has predominantly employed variable-centered analytic approaches, thereby limiting our understanding of how afterlife-related expectations and beliefs jointly influence behavior in Muslim populations. The current study adopts a person-centered approach, utilizing latent profile analysis to (1) examine how Islamic beliefs and expectations concerning afterlife punishment and reward interact and (2) identify distinct psychological profiles emerging from this interaction. It further explores how these profiles relate to prosocial behavior (e.g., integrity, self-control, and rule-breaking tendencies), religiosity, and future orientation. Data were collected from 303 university students in Malaysia. Findings indicate that profiles characterized by high levels of hope-oriented afterlife expectations and strong beliefs in eternal punishment and reward are positively associated with religiosity and prosocial outcomes. Conversely, profiles marked by strong beliefs in compulsory temporary punishment, expectations of temporary punishment, and fear-based afterlife expectations are negatively associated with these outcomes. Notably, the most adaptive profiles comprise only 26% of the sample.

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