India, May 2 -- Karma is a belief many people hold close, the idea that good deeds bring rewards and bad ones invite punishment. But according to a new study published in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, we tend to apply this belief differently depending on who we're thinking about. When it comes to ourselves, we're more likely to credit our successes to good karma. But when others face setbacks, we often assume they're paying the price for past misdeeds. (Also read: Do you frequently argue with your partner? Ask them these 4 questions that can change the way you approach conflicts )

The researchers proposed that two competing psychological motivations shape our beliefs about karma: the desire for a just world (where wrongdoers a...