So, the researchers hypothesize, it would make sense that a practice that centers on relinquishing control would result in decreased activity in this brain area. The prefrontal cortex is traditionally thought to be involved in executive control, or willful behavior, as well as decision-making. Newberg shows that intense Islamic prayer - “which has, as its most fundamental concept, the surrendering of one’s self to God” - reduces the activity in the prefrontal cortex and the frontal lobes connected with it, as well as the activity in the parietal lobes. For instance, one of the most recent studies co-authored by Dr.
Nuns, however - who pray using words rather than relying on visualization techniques used in meditation - show increased activity in the language-processing brain areas of the subparietal lobes.īut, other religious practices can have the opposite effect on the same brain areas.
These areas are linked with increased focus and attention, planning skills, the ability to project into the future, and the ability to construct complex arguments.Īlso, both prayer and meditation correlate with a decreased activity in the parietal lobes, which are responsible for processing temporal and spatial orientation. The researcher, who literally “wrote the book” on neurotheology, draws from his numerous studies to show that both meditating Buddhists and praying Catholic nuns, for instance, have increased activity in the frontal lobes of the brain. Namely, different religions activate brain regions differently. Share on Pinterest The front part of the brain (shown here in red) is more active during meditation. While researchers may not have all the answers yet, pieces of the puzzle are coming together to form a scientific picture of divinity that is shaping up to be quite different from those we find in the holy books. Such findings have intriguing implications for how religion affects health, and vice-versa.Īlso, do the neurobiological underpinnings of religious experience mean that it could be artificially recreated? If a divine experience proves to be biologically predetermined, does having the right scientific information enable us to create the illusion of a god?īelow, we take a look at some of these questions. Other research has suggested that damage to a certain brain region can make you feel as though someone’s in the room when nobody’s there.
Religious belief can increase our lifespan and help us better cope with disease.Īnd, research in the field of “neurotheology” - or the neuroscience of theological belief - has made some surprising discoveries that are bound to change how we think about spirituality.įor instance, some scientists suggest that religious experience activates the same brain circuits as sex and drugs. Whether you are a staunch atheist, a reserved agnostic, or a devout believer, you are equally likely to find the effects of religion on human brains astonishing. Share on Pinterest The effects of prayer on a person’s well-being are well-documented.