This Is Your Brain On Religion

Sophus · December 17, 2010, 05:47:10 AM

Well... not exactly. More like your brain on meditation, but it applies to prayer and other similar religious rituals as well. NPR did a story on Dr. Andrew Newberg's new book on "neurotheology".

Quote from: "NPR"Newberg's scans have also shown the ways in which religious practices, like meditation, can help shape a brain. Newberg describes one study in which he worked with older individuals who were experiencing memory problems. Newberg took scans of their brains, then taught them a mantra-based type of meditation and asked them to practice that meditation 12 minutes a day for eight weeks. At the end of the eight weeks, they came back for another scan, and Newberg found some dramatic differences.

"We found some very significant and profound changes in their brain just at rest, particularly in the areas of the brain that help us to focus our mind and to focus our attention," he says.

According to Newberg, many of the participants related that they were thinking more clearly and were better able to remember things after eight weeks of meditation. Remarkably, the new scans and memory tests confirmed their claims.

"They had improvements of about 10 or 15 percent," Newberg says. "This is only after eight weeks at 12 minutes a day, so you can imagine what happens in people who are deeply religious and spiritual and are doing these practices for hours a day for years and years."

I've always believed meditation is helpful; it would be interesting if he focused on other effects of religion later. Then again maybe that's what Sam Harris' new book is for.

Sophus · December 20, 2010, 09:27:20 AM

Oh, dear God... FOX is eating this up. Enjoy the immensely ironic statement from a priest that "it isn't healthy to have an imaginary friend."

[youtube:1rwsz0jr]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Prglk8wSoMk[/youtube:1rwsz0jr]

Davin · December 20, 2010, 04:13:11 PM

Quote from: "Sophus"Oh, dear God... FOX is eating this up. Enjoy the immensely ironic statement from a priest that "it isn't healthy to have an imaginary friend."
[Video]

That was very funny, it's amazing how well he can pick and choose which parts of a study he accepts and which parts he denies.

ablprop · December 21, 2010, 02:36:57 AM

The amazing thing for me about all these brain studies is that they are showing what the rationalists have been saying all along. Thoughts are real, physical, chemical things. This has huge implications. If prayer is somehow speaking to some being that is not us, and (even more) receiving answers from said being, then this brain work should show exactly what is happening during such an episode. Is there some sort of transmitter/receiver in our brain? If so, what comes in or goes out? The more we learn that the mind is physical, the clearer it becomes that, if there's a "supernatural" communication channel, at some point that supernatural whatever-it-is has to interface with the physics and chemistry of our physical brain (which of course means it's not supernatural at all). Either that, or such a channel isn't there. We're getting closer.

Velma · December 21, 2010, 03:43:13 PM

As someone who used to spend a great deal of time in prayer and has also meditated, I think the main benefit of prayer and meditation comes from quieting what Buddhists call the 'monkey brain' - that part of your mind that flits from thought to thought and blurs your focus. From personal experience, meditation works better for me than prayer ever did.

grim-reaper · December 28, 2010, 03:34:48 PM

Quotetaught them a mantra-based type of meditation

Isn't reciting mantras a Buddhist practice? Anyway, I'm not sure how this study proves anything about the validity of religion or or the effectiveness of prayer.

Bubblepot · January 02, 2011, 05:06:28 PM

Quote from: "ablprop"The amazing thing for me about all these brain studies is that they are showing what the rationalists have been saying all along. Thoughts are real, physical, chemical things. This has huge implications. If prayer is somehow speaking to some being that is not us, and (even more) receiving answers from said being, then this brain work should show exactly what is happening during such an episode. Is there some sort of transmitter/receiver in our brain? If so, what comes in or goes out? The more we learn that the mind is physical, the clearer it becomes that, if there's a "supernatural" communication channel, at some point that supernatural whatever-it-is has to interface with the physics and chemistry of our physical brain (which of course means it's not supernatural at all). Either that, or such a channel isn't there. We're getting closer.

Ah, I get it. So basically you see an article about how religion apparently *helps* the brain and now you're thinking of converting. How ironic. :shake:

Ultima22689 · January 02, 2011, 07:56:25 PM

Quote from: "Bubblepot"
Quote from: "ablprop"The amazing thing for me about all these brain studies is that they are showing what the rationalists have been saying all along. Thoughts are real, physical, chemical things. This has huge implications. If prayer is somehow speaking to some being that is not us, and (even more) receiving answers from said being, then this brain work should show exactly what is happening during such an episode. Is there some sort of transmitter/receiver in our brain? If so, what comes in or goes out? The more we learn that the mind is physical, the clearer it becomes that, if there's a "supernatural" communication channel, at some point that supernatural whatever-it-is has to interface with the physics and chemistry of our physical brain (which of course means it's not supernatural at all). Either that, or such a channel isn't there. We're getting closer.

Ah, I get it. So basically you see an article about how religion apparently *helps* the brain and now you're thinking of converting. How ironic.

What? How do you get he suddenly wants to convert from that post, quit trolling mate.

LegendarySandwich · January 02, 2011, 09:36:28 PM

Quote from: "Ultima22689"What? How do you get he suddenly wants to convert from that post, quit trolling mate.

So far, I can only remember seeing three Christians on this forum that weren't/aren't trolling -- AnimatedDirt, Jac, and Achronos (yes, he has some quite illogical positions, but I don't think he's actually trolling). Maybe that's just because of the nature of this forum.

Ultima22689 · January 02, 2011, 09:52:19 PM

We don't even know if bubblepot is christian, I think he is just here to get his jollies.

LegendarySandwich · January 02, 2011, 09:55:06 PM

Quote from: "Ultima22689"We don't even know if bubblepot is christian, I think he is just here to get his jollies.

Eh, true. I guess I was a little quick to assume he was.

He's presumably a creationist, though, so I'm still guessing he's a Christian.

Sophus · January 04, 2011, 04:47:50 PM

Quote from: "Ultima22689"
Quote from: "Bubblepot"Ah, I get it. So basically you see an article about how religion apparently *helps* the brain and now you're thinking of converting. How ironic. roflol Did I come across as a newly reborn Christian thanking a FOX News report for my newfound faith? What a testimony that would make.

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This Is Your Brain On Religion