See the Website for the project, Divine Placebo
His proposal is to review potential placebo effects of religion and how these may explain why religious beliefs and practices are so common across human populations.
Because this is not his normal area of research he is asking for public assistance. Looks to me like he's running out of time so don't delay if you wish to donate.
From his website:
His academic website - http://www.zoologi.su.se/research/lindenfors/In my regular work I am a researcher of cultural evolution at Stockholm University. I have previously authored the books God Probably Doesn’t Exist, which has been translated into seven languages, and “Samarbete“, a popular science book in Swedish about the biological and cultural evolution of cooperation, currently being translated into English.
Now, I want to explore a proposal that has circulated in books and on-line discussions for a while – if there are any placebo effects of religion and whether these may be a partial explanation of the spread of religious beliefs and practices across human societies. The funding I ask for will utilized as salary during the book writing process.
Scientific studies have found measurable effects of sham treatments on several different ailments – placebo effects. Religious rituals often invoke very similar mechanisms as those used to invoke such placebo responses, including suggestion, trust in authority figures, generated expectations and classical Pavlovian conditioning. In this way placebo (beneficial) and nocebo (detrimental) effects may function as religion’s stick and carrot, something which may have expedited the spread and maintenance of religious beliefs and rituals across human populations.
Importantly, placebos can provide actual benefits, resulting in both immediate and evolutionary advantages for people who are persuaded by pretend treatments and religious practices. This indicates real benefits of gullibility and suggestibility in humans, providing an explanation of the universal spread of religions across human populations. In the final chapter of the book I will discuss potential methods to harness the power of placebo for the benefit of the ever growing number of people who are not religious.
The field of evolutionary research on religion is exploding, with new research groups, journals and papers emerging all the time. Thus, there should be a ripe market for a book reviewing and summarizing a novel general argument.
I plan to write the book in English, in an easily accessible manner and with an anti-theistic slant, tapping into the large audience reading atheistic literature.
Facebook page with more details - https://www.facebook.com/divineplacebo