Knowledge of theory of evolution and beliefs as determinants of dualism in health science students

It has been proposed that dualistic conceptions on the mind and the body can affect the practice of health professionals. Religious beliefs have already been described as affecting mind-body dualistic thinking. Another factor that may play a role is knowledge of evolutionary theory, but this relationship has not been explored. In this work, data on knowledge of evolutionary theory and supernatural and dualistic beliefs of 287 Argentinian students of psychology and medicine majors. were collected through a cross-sectional online survey. Information was analyzed to determine whether an association exists between knowledge of evolutionary theory, supernatural beliefs and dualism. We found significant statistical associations between supernatural beliefs and dualism (positive) and between both and knowledge of evolutionary theory (negative). Also, some heterogeneity was found within dualistic questions between theoretical ones and a hypothetical case. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that knowledge of evolutionary theory could challenge mind-body dualistic conceptions.