When navigating life’s biggest questions, adults often lean on scientific evidence, religious faith, or a mixture of both to understand the world around them. A survey of American adults reveals that specific childhood experiences and distinct personality traits predict whether a person will eventually view reality through a scientific lens or a religious one. These results, published in the journal Religion, Brain & Behavior, help explain how early household environments shape our lifelong philosophical frameworks. Humans possess a deep psychological need to comprehend themselves and their place in the universe. To achieve this, people construct worldviews, which the researchers describe as “assumptions about physical and social reality that may have powerful effects on cognition and behavior.” Religion and science serve as two primary methods for making sense of everyday life. Sense-making is the psychological process of giving meaning to life experiences. When someone experiences a major life event, they need a mental framework to process why it happened. Religion provides a metaphysical lens rooted in faith, spirituality, and belief in the divine to address moral …