The article examines whether cultural groups tend to use supernatural beliefs more to explain natural phenomena or social phenomena. Analysis of ethnographic text from 114 diverse societies reveals that supernatural explanations are more common for natural phenomena, consistent with the theory that humans tend to perceive intent and agency in the natural world. However, supernatural explanations of social phenomena were more prevalent in urbanized societies with greater social complexity and anonymity. The study highlights how people use supernatural beliefs to explain their world and how this varies across small-scale and urbanized communities.

A community’s response to the risks posed by natural (and other) disasters is highly dependent on the political participation of its members. This study examines political participation data from 22 published studies, representing 183 historical and contemporary cultures experiencing disaster risk (including several monocultural countries, used as proxies for cultures). Using a combination of statistical and qualitative analyses, the authors comment on both what types of political engagement (voting vs. extra-governmental organizing vs. town hall-style consensus decision making, etc.) and what levels of engagement tend to result in optimal outcomes during disaster risk mitigation.

This article focuses on environmental and social explainations for variations in sonority. As expected, results suggest that climate, vegetation density, and sexuality are associated with sonority.

This article discusses the relationship between plural marriage and women's position in the economy. Comparisons are made between this relationship in various locations and cultures. The article concludes that female farming is not sufficient as an explanation.

This chapter examines the relationship between social cohesion (measured using variables like subsistence type, stable work teams, and settlement patterns) and musical cohesion. All hypotheses are supported.

A large-scale comparative study of folk songs around the world employing systematic measures (cantometrics). The aim was not just to describe variation but to test hypotheses about the relationships between song style and societal structures. Dance was also considered.

This book discusses the role of women cross-culturally. The authors use a cross-cultural sample to examine the differences between men and women in contribution to subsistence as well as the social juxtaposition of the sexes in foraging, horticultural, agricultural, pastoral, and industrial societies.