For example, the Hindu prohibition against eating cows may increase the food supply by making cows long-term sources of milk rather than short-term sources of meat. The Protestant work ethic, which combines high productivity with limited consumption, makes more resources available to the community. Even prohibitions against masturbation—a private act if ever there was one—may serve a social function: A cooperative institution such as a church may increase its power by maintaining a monopoly on the blessing of marriages, while blocking alternative routes to sexual gratification.
Really good examples
