Ferguson seems not to have considered this explanation, but instead seeks answers through neuroscience. There’s nothing like communion with God to enrich and deepen life. Emma Yasinski, “ Religion on the Brain” at The Scientist (Jul 13, 2021) The paper covered requires a subscription.Īn obvious answer would be that religious experiences are rich and profound because they are true. That’s probably fairly common at Harvard –- there is a pervasive and palpable bias against serious religious beliefs in many of our leading universities.Īs a scientist, I can’t help but wonder what it is about these types of experiences that made them feel so rich and so profound. But, he reports, his beliefs have changed. He grew up as a Mormon and was quite religious. Michael Ferguson is a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School. “Reinforcing your beliefs makes you feel a little bit better and secure,” said Grafman, who was not involved in the new study.Share Facebook Twitter Print arroba EmailĪ recent article about a Harvard neuroscientist’s research on the correlates of religious experience in the brain raises many familiar questions about the relevance of neuroscience to religious experience. Reward systems in the brain might activate during religious or spiritual experiences in part because they reinforce whatever faith-based beliefs you may have, said Jordan Grafman, director of brain injury research at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and a professor at Northwestern University. ‘This is one of the things that make us human’ “For example, would this study yield similar or different results if the subjects were members of ISIS and provided religious quotes and videos supporting those beliefs? That could be a fascinating study.” “Additionally, it is also important to understand the potential negative consequences,” he said. “Generally, religious and spiritual beliefs and practices reduce depression, stress and anxiety and provide people a sense of meaning and purpose,” he said. The scientific literature on health-related effects of spiritual experiences is growing, said Newberg, who wrote the book “How God Changes Your Brain.” Going to church could help you live longer, study says The tasks included resting for six minutes, watching a six-minute church announcement about membership and financial reports, reading quotations from religious leaders for eight minutes, engaging in prayer for six minutes, reading scripture for eight minutes, and watching videos of religious speeches, renderings of biblical scenes and church member testimonials.Ī picture taken on shows a Catholic woman reading the Bible during Sunday mass, lead by Argentinian Catholic priest Father Jorge Hernandez (unseen), at the Holy Family Church, in Gaza City. It’s just a critical question that needs more study.”įor the study, 19 devout young adult Mormons had their brains scanned in fMRI machines while they completed various tasks. “Yet we know so little about what actually happens in the brain during these experiences. It’s one of the most powerful influences on our social behavior,” he said. “Billions of people make important decisions in life based on spiritual and religious feelings and experiences. Jeffrey Anderson, a neuroradiologist at the University of Utah and lead author of the study. But yet, religious neuroscience is such a young field – and there are very few studies – and ours was the first study that showed activation of the nucleus accumbens, an area of the brain that processes reward,” said Dr. “These are areas of the brain that seem like they should be involved in religious and spiritual experience. They activate the same reward systems between your ears as do feelings of love, being moved by music and even doing drugs, according to the study, which was published in the journal Social Neuroscience on Tuesday. Now, a new study shows through functional MRI scans that such religious and spiritual experiences can be rewarding to your brain. Most Americans, about 89%, say they believe in God, and some have felt God’s presence while listening to a sermon or sensed time stand still while they were in deep prayer or meditation.

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