Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Wilfried Apfalter |
Abstract | In this short article I argue that neurotheology should be conceived and practiced within a theological framework. Taking the case of Catholic theology as an example, five proposals are provided that offer a glimpse and, in my estimation, a realistic account of a (future) Catholic neurotheology. I identify two possible modes of how to practice Catholic neurotheology and conclude that any Catholic neurotheology that attempts to be practiced in accordance with these five proposals will be extremely challenging for Catholic theology. |
Publication | Theology and Science |
Volume | 7 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 163-174 |
Date | May 2009 |
DOI | 10.1080/14746700902796528 |
ISSN | 1474-6700 |
Short Title | Neurotheology |
URL | http://www.informaworld.com/10.1080/14746700902796528 |
Accessed | Sat Sep 12 19:21:13 2009 |
Library Catalog | Informaworld |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
In this short article I argue that neurotheology should be conceived and practiced within a theological framework. Taking the case of Catholic theology as an example, five proposals are provided that offer a glimpse and, in my estimation, a realistic account of a (future) Catholic neurotheology. I identify two possible modes of how to practice Catholic neurotheology and conclude that any Catholic neurotheology that attempts to be practiced in accordance with these five proposals will be extremely challenging for Catholic theology.
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | Scott Atran |
Series | Evolution and Cognition Series |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Date | 2002-11-12 |
ISBN | 0195178033 |
Short Title | In Gods We Trust |
Library Catalog | Amazon.com |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
This ambitious, interdisciplinary book seeks to explain the origins of religion using our knowledge of the evolution of cognition. A cognitive anthropologist and psychologist, Scott Atran argues that religion is a by-product of human evolution just as the cognitive intervention, cultural selection, and historical survival of religion is an accommodation of certain existential and moral elements that have evolved in the human condition.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | N P Azari |
Author | J Nickel |
Author | G Wunderlich |
Author | M Niedeggen |
Author | H Hefter |
Author | L Tellmann |
Author | H Herzog |
Author | P Stoerig |
Author | D Birnbacher |
Author | R J Seitz |
Abstract | The commonsense view of religious experience is that it is a preconceptual, immediate affective event. Work in philosophy and psychology, however, suggest that religious experience is an attributional cognitive phenomenon. Here the neural correlates of a religious experience are investigated using functional neuroimaging. During religious recitation, self-identified religious subjects activated a frontal-parietal circuit, composed of the dorsolateral prefrontal, dorsomedial frontal and medial parietal cortex. Prior studies indicate that these areas play a profound role in sustaining reflexive evaluation of thought. Thus, religious experience may be a cognitive process which, nonetheless, feels immediate. |
Publication | The European Journal of Neuroscience |
Volume | 13 |
Issue | 8 |
Pages | 1649-1652 |
Date | Apr 2001 |
Journal Abbr | Eur. J. Neurosci |
ISSN | 0953-816X |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/11328359 |
Accessed | Tue Nov 3 19:53:53 2009 |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 11328359 |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
The commonsense view of religious experience is that it is a preconceptual, immediate affective event. Work in philosophy and psychology, however, suggest that religious experience is an attributional cognitive phenomenon. Here the neural correlates of a religious experience are investigated using functional neuroimaging. During religious recitation, self-identified religious subjects activated a frontal-parietal circuit, composed of the dorsolateral prefrontal, dorsomedial frontal and medial parietal cortex. Prior studies indicate that these areas play a profound role in sustaining reflexive evaluation of thought. Thus, religious experience may be a cognitive process which, nonetheless, feels immediate.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Justin L. Barrett |
Abstract | A new cognitive approach to religion is bringing fresh insights to our understanding of how religious concepts are maintained, acquired and used to motivate and direct actions. This approach suggests that seemingly extraordinary thoughts and behaviours can be supported by quite ordinary cognition and may thus be termed [`]natural'. Simultaneously, this research is expanding the domain of concepts and causal reasoning in general. This review examines recent research into religious rituals, communication and transmission of religious knowledge, the development of god-concepts in children, and the origins and character of religious concepts in adults. Together, these studies consistently emphasize and support the notion that the cultural phenomena typically labeled as [`]religion' may be understood as the product of aggregated ordinary cognition. The new cognitive science of religion should eventually provide a fuller account of the distinctive and apparently extraordinary properties of religion. |
Publication | Trends in Cognitive Sciences |
Volume | 4 |
Issue | 1 |
Pages | 29-34 |
Date | January 1, 2000 |
DOI | 10.1016/S1364-6613(99)01419-9 |
ISSN | 1364-6613 |
URL | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VH9-3YF3BY5-C/2/033587de04eedbcf5e8f56fd8725df71 |
Accessed | Wed Nov 4 21:14:45 2009 |
Library Catalog | ScienceDirect |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
A new cognitive approach to religion is bringing fresh insights to our understanding of how religious concepts are maintained, acquired and used to motivate and direct actions. This approach suggests that seemingly extraordinary thoughts and behaviours can be supported by quite ordinary cognition and may thus be termed [`]natural’. Simultaneously, this research is expanding the domain of concepts and causal reasoning in general. This review examines recent research into religious rituals, communication and transmission of religious knowledge, the development of god-concepts in children, and the origins and character of religious concepts in adults. Together, these studies consistently emphasize and support the notion that the cultural phenomena typically labeled as [`]religion’ may be understood as the product of aggregated ordinary cognition. The new cognitive science of religion should eventually provide a fuller account of the distinctive and apparently extraordinary properties of religion.
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | Justin L. Barrett |
Series | Cognitive Science of Religion Series |
Publisher | AltaMira Press |
Date | 2004-05-28 |
ISBN | 0759106673 |
Library Catalog | Amazon.com |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Because of the design of our minds. That is Justin Barrett’s simple answer to the question of his title. With rich evidence from cognitive science but without technical language, psychologist Barrett shows that belief in God is an almost inevitable consequence of the kind of minds we have. Most of what we believe comes from mental tools working below our conscious awareness. And what we believe consciously is in large part driven by these unconscious beliefs. Barrett demonstrates that beliefs in gods match up well with these automatic assumptions; beliefs in an all-knowing, all-powerful God match up even better. Barrett goes on to explain why beliefs like religious beliefs are so widespread and why it is very difficult for our minds to think without them. Anyone who wants a concise, clear, and scientific explanation of why anyone would believe in God should pick up Barrett’s book. Visit our website for sample chapters!
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | Pascal Boyer |
Publisher | Basic Books |
Date | 2002-04 |
ISBN | 0465006965 |
Library Catalog | Amazon.com |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Shihui Han |
Author | Lihua Mao |
Author | Xiaosi Gu |
Author | Ying Zhu |
Author | Jianqiao Ge |
Author | Yina Ma |
Abstract | Christianity strongly encourages its believers to surrender to God and to judge the self from God's perspective. We used functional MRI to assess whether this religious belief is associated with neural correlates of self-referential processing distinct from that of non-religious people. Non-religious and Christian participants were scanned while performing tasks of personal-trait judgments regarding the self or public persons. We found that, while self-judgment was linked to better memory of traits related to the self than to others, self-referential processing induced increased activity in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) for non-religious participants but in the dorsal MPFC for Christian participants. In addition, the dorsal MPFC activity was positively correlated with the rating scores of the importance of Jesus' judgment in subjective evaluation of a person's personality. Because the ventral and dorsal MPFC are respectively engaged in representation of stimulus self-relevance and evaluation of self-referential stimuli, our findings suggest that Christian beliefs result in weakened neural coding of stimulus self-relatedness but enhanced neural activity underlying evaluative processes applied to self-referential stimuli. |
Publication | Social Neuroscience |
Volume | 3 |
Issue | 1 |
Pages | 1-15 |
Date | 2008 |
Journal Abbr | Soc Neurosci |
DOI | 10.1080/17470910701469681 |
ISSN | 1747-0927 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/18633851 |
Accessed | Tue Nov 3 19:52:24 2009 |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 18633851 |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Christianity strongly encourages its believers to surrender to God and to judge the self from God’s perspective. We used functional MRI to assess whether this religious belief is associated with neural correlates of self-referential processing distinct from that of non-religious people. Non-religious and Christian participants were scanned while performing tasks of personal-trait judgments regarding the self or public persons. We found that, while self-judgment was linked to better memory of traits related to the self than to others, self-referential processing induced increased activity in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) for non-religious participants but in the dorsal MPFC for Christian participants. In addition, the dorsal MPFC activity was positively correlated with the rating scores of the importance of Jesus’ judgment in subjective evaluation of a person’s personality. Because the ventral and dorsal MPFC are respectively engaged in representation of stimulus self-relevance and evaluation of self-referential stimuli, our findings suggest that Christian beliefs result in weakened neural coding of stimulus self-relatedness but enhanced neural activity underlying evaluative processes applied to self-referential stimuli.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Sam Harris |
Author | Jonas T Kaplan |
Author | Ashley Curiel |
Author | Susan Y Bookheimer |
Author | Marco Iacoboni |
Author | Mark S Cohen |
Abstract | BACKGROUND: While religious faith remains one of the most significant features of human life, little is known about its relationship to ordinary belief at the level of the brain. Nor is it known whether religious believers and nonbelievers differ in how they evaluate statements of fact. Our lab previously has used functional neuroimaging to study belief as a general mode of cognition [1], and others have looked specifically at religious belief [2]. However, no research has compared these two states of mind directly. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure signal changes in the brains of thirty subjects-fifteen committed Christians and fifteen nonbelievers-as they evaluated the truth and falsity of religious and nonreligious propositions. For both groups, and in both categories of stimuli, belief (judgments of "true" vs judgments of "false") was associated with greater signal in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, an area important for self-representation [3], [4], [5], [6], emotional associations [7], reward [8], [9], [10], and goal-driven behavior [11]. This region showed greater signal whether subjects believed statements about God, the Virgin Birth, etc. or statements about ordinary facts. A comparison of both stimulus categories suggests that religious thinking is more associated with brain regions that govern emotion, self-representation, and cognitive conflict, while thinking about ordinary facts is more reliant upon memory retrieval networks. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: While religious and nonreligious thinking differentially engage broad regions of the frontal, parietal, and medial temporal lobes, the difference between belief and disbelief appears to be content-independent. Our study compares religious thinking with ordinary cognition and, as such, constitutes a step toward developing a neuropsychology of religion. However, these findings may also further our understanding of how the brain accepts statements of all kinds to be valid descriptions of the world. |
Publication | PloS One |
Volume | 4 |
Issue | 10 |
Pages | e0007272 |
Date | 2009 |
Journal Abbr | PLoS ONE |
DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0007272 |
ISSN | 1932-6203 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/19794914 |
Accessed | Tue Nov 3 19:51:43 2009 |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 19794914 |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Background: While religious faith remains one of the most significant features of human life, little is known about its relationship to ordinary belief at the level of the brain. Nor is it known whether religious believers and nonbelievers differ in how they evaluate statements of fact. Our lab previously has used functional neuroimaging to study belief as a general mode of cognition [1], and others have looked specifically at religious belief [2]. However, no research has compared these two states of mind directly. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL Findings: We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure signal changes in the brains of thirty subjects-fifteen committed Christians and fifteen nonbelievers-as they evaluated the truth and falsity of religious and nonreligious propositions. For both groups, and in both categories of stimuli, belief (judgments of “true” vs judgments of “false”) was associated with greater signal in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, an area important for self-representation [3], [4], [5], [6], emotional associations [7], reward [8], [9], [10], and goal-driven behavior [11]. This region showed greater signal whether subjects believed statements about God, the Virgin Birth, etc. or statements about ordinary facts. A comparison of both stimulus categories suggests that religious thinking is more associated with brain regions that govern emotion, self-representation, and cognitive conflict, while thinking about ordinary facts is more reliant upon memory retrieval networks. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: While religious and nonreligious thinking differentially engage broad regions of the frontal, parietal, and medial temporal lobes, the difference between belief and disbelief appears to be content-independent. Our study compares religious thinking with ordinary cognition and, as such, constitutes a step toward developing a neuropsychology of religion. However, these findings may also further our understanding of how the brain accepts statements of all kinds to be valid descriptions of the world.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Sam Harris |
Author | Sameer A Sheth |
Author | Mark S Cohen |
Abstract | OBJECTIVE: The difference between believing and disbelieving a proposition is one of the most potent regulators of human behavior and emotion. When one accepts a statement as true, it becomes the basis for further thought and action; rejected as false, it remains a string of words. The purpose of this study was to differentiate belief, disbelief, and uncertainty at the level of the brain. METHODS: We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study the brains of 14 adults while they judged written statements to be "true" (belief), "false" (disbelief), or "undecidable" (uncertainty). To characterize belief, disbelief, and uncertainty in a content-independent manner, we included statements from a wide range of categories: autobiographical, mathematical, geographical, religious, ethical, semantic, and factual. RESULTS: The states of belief, disbelief, and uncertainty differentially activated distinct regions of the prefrontal and parietal cortices, as well as the basal ganglia. INTERPRETATION: Belief and disbelief differ from uncertainty in that both provide information that can subsequently inform behavior and emotion. The mechanism underlying this difference appears to involve the anterior cingulate cortex and the caudate. Although many areas of higher cognition are likely involved in assessing the truth-value of linguistic propositions, the final acceptance of a statement as "true" or its rejection as "false" appears to rely on more primitive, hedonic processing in the medial prefrontal cortex and the anterior insula. Truth may be beauty, and beauty truth, in more than a metaphorical sense, and false propositions may actually disgust us. |
Publication | Annals of Neurology |
Volume | 63 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 141-147 |
Date | Feb 2008 |
Journal Abbr | Ann. Neurol |
DOI | 10.1002/ana.21301 |
ISSN | 1531-8249 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/18072236 |
Accessed | Tue Nov 3 19:52:03 2009 |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 18072236 |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Objective: The difference between believing and disbelieving a proposition is one of the most potent regulators of human behavior and emotion. When one accepts a statement as true, it becomes the basis for further thought and action; rejected as false, it remains a string of words. The purpose of this study was to differentiate belief, disbelief, and uncertainty at the level of the brain. Methods: We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study the brains of 14 adults while they judged written statements to be “true” (belief), “false” (disbelief), or “undecidable” (uncertainty). To characterize belief, disbelief, and uncertainty in a content-independent manner, we included statements from a wide range of categories: autobiographical, mathematical, geographical, religious, ethical, semantic, and factual. Results: The states of belief, disbelief, and uncertainty differentially activated distinct regions of the prefrontal and parietal cortices, as well as the basal ganglia. INTERPRETATION: Belief and disbelief differ from uncertainty in that both provide information that can subsequently inform behavior and emotion. The mechanism underlying this difference appears to involve the anterior cingulate cortex and the caudate. Although many areas of higher cognition are likely involved in assessing the truth-value of linguistic propositions, the final acceptance of a statement as “true” or its rejection as “false” appears to rely on more primitive, hedonic processing in the medial prefrontal cortex and the anterior insula. Truth may be beauty, and beauty truth, in more than a metaphorical sense, and false propositions may actually disgust us.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Michael Inzlicht |
Author | Ian McGregor |
Author | Jacob B Hirsh |
Author | Kyle Nash |
Abstract | Many people derive peace of mind and purpose in life from their belief in God. For others, however, religion provides unsatisfying answers. Are there brain differences between believers and nonbelievers? Here we show that religious conviction is marked by reduced reactivity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a cortical system that is involved in the experience of anxiety and is important for self-regulation. In two studies, we recorded electroencephalographic neural reactivity in the ACC as participants completed a Stroop task. Results showed that stronger religious zeal and greater belief in God were associated with less firing of the ACC in response to error and with commission of fewer errors. These correlations remained strong even after we controlled for personality and cognitive ability. These results suggest that religious conviction provides a framework for understanding and acting within one's environment, thereby acting as a buffer against anxiety and minimizing the experience of error. |
Publication | Psychological Science: A Journal of the American Psychological Society / APS |
Volume | 20 |
Issue | 3 |
Pages | 385-392 |
Date | Mar 2009 |
Journal Abbr | Psychol Sci |
DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02305.x |
ISSN | 1467-9280 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/19291205 |
Accessed | Tue Nov 3 19:53:01 2009 |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 19291205 |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Many people derive peace of mind and purpose in life from their belief in God. For others, however, religion provides unsatisfying answers. Are there brain differences between believers and nonbelievers? Here we show that religious conviction is marked by reduced reactivity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a cortical system that is involved in the experience of anxiety and is important for self-regulation. In two studies, we recorded electroencephalographic neural reactivity in the ACC as participants completed a Stroop task. Results showed that stronger religious zeal and greater belief in God were associated with less firing of the ACC in response to error and with commission of fewer errors. These correlations remained strong even after we controlled for personality and cognitive ability. These results suggest that religious conviction provides a framework for understanding and acting within one’s environment, thereby acting as a buffer against anxiety and minimizing the experience of error.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Dimitrios Kapogiannis |
Author | Aron K Barbey |
Author | Michael Su |
Author | Giovanna Zamboni |
Author | Frank Krueger |
Author | Jordan Grafman |
Abstract | We propose an integrative cognitive neuroscience framework for understanding the cognitive and neural foundations of religious belief. Our analysis reveals 3 psychological dimensions of religious belief (God's perceived level of involvement, God's perceived emotion, and doctrinal/experiential religious knowledge), which functional MRI localizes within networks processing Theory of Mind regarding intent and emotion, abstract semantics, and imagery. Our results are unique in demonstrating that specific components of religious belief are mediated by well-known brain networks, and support contemporary psychological theories that ground religious belief within evolutionary adaptive cognitive functions. |
Publication | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
Volume | 106 |
Issue | 12 |
Pages | 4876-4881 |
Date | Mar 24, 2009 |
Journal Abbr | Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A |
DOI | 10.1073/pnas.0811717106 |
ISSN | 1091-6490 |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy.bu.edu/pubmed/19273839 |
Accessed | Tue Nov 3 19:47:42 2009 |
Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
Extra | PMID: 19273839 |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
We propose an integrative cognitive neuroscience framework for understanding the cognitive and neural foundations of religious belief. Our analysis reveals 3 psychological dimensions of religious belief (God’s perceived level of involvement, God’s perceived emotion, and doctrinal/experiential religious knowledge), which functional MRI localizes within networks processing Theory of Mind regarding intent and emotion, abstract semantics, and imagery. Our results are unique in demonstrating that specific components of religious belief are mediated by well-known brain networks, and support contemporary psychological theories that ground religious belief within evolutionary adaptive cognitive functions.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | LA Kilpatrick |
Author | BY Suyenobu |
Author | SR Smith |
Author | JA Bueller |
Author | EA Mayer |
Author | BD Naliboff |
Abstract | Introduction The practice of meditation has been shown to have a beneficial effect on physical and psychological health, as well as positive regulatory effects on physiological processes. Presumably these effects result from changes in underlying brain processes. Although there are many types of meditation, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training is of particular research interest because it utilizes a traditional practice applied in a well-documented, standardized contemporary format. As part of a larger study of mindfulness meditation and pain processing, we investigated how mindfulness meditation impacts default mode network (DMN) activity. The default network is a set of brain regions that are metabolically active in the absence of goal-directed activity, and are disrupted in a number of mental disorders (Raichle et al 2001; Broyd et al 2008). We hypothesized that the DMN of MBSR-trained subjects, relative to wait list controls, would demonstrate greater coherence with regions previously associated with a present moment, experiential self-focus and less coherence with regions associated with a narrative self-focus (Farb et al, 2007). Methods 12 healthy, meditation naive female subjects were scanned following an MBSR course and compared to 8 wait list controls. Subjects were asked to close their eyes and be mindfully aware of their surroundings during a 5 minute baseline functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI; 1.5 T) scan. Group independent component analysis was performed to investigate training-related changes among DMN brain regions during mindful rest. Results MBSR-trained subjects and wait list controls had significant differences in the default mode network. Most notably, MBSR-trained subjects, compared to wait list controls, showed significantly increased DMN connectivity with the left dorsal and inferior lateral prefrontal cortex (BA10), left angular gyrus (BA39), left inferior parietal lobule (BA40), and bilateral precuneus (BA7) and decreased DMN connectivity with the bilateral hippocampal formation, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA46) and bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (BA23). Conclusions MBSR students learn to generate a state of focused awareness on the present moment with curiosity and equanimity. Default mode network differences between MBSR-trained subjects and wait list controls suggest a training-induced shift from a greater coherence with regions supporting ruminative, narrative-based processing (hippocampal formation, posterior cingulate) to a greater coherence with regions supporting present moment, experiential processing (BA10, BA39, BA40). Greater coherence with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in wait list controls may reflect greater effort to resist narrative mind wandering (Farb et al, 2007). In summary, MBSR-training appears to induce changes in the nature of self-referential thought processes occurring in the absence of goal-directed behavior, facilitating present-centered self-awareness and reducing ruminative type thinking. |
Publication | NeuroImage |
Volume | 47 |
Issue | Supplement 1 |
Pages | S156 |
Date | July 2009 |
DOI | 10.1016/S1053-8119(09)71639-8 |
ISSN | 1053-8119 |
URL | http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.bu.edu/science/article/B6WNP-4X3PHYG-22H/2/1511991dafc0113eb94892cf4bbda722 |
Accessed | Sat Sep 26 18:30:25 2009 |
Library Catalog | ScienceDirect |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
MBSR students learn to generate a state of focused awareness on the present moment with curiosity and equanimity. Default mode network differences between MBSR-trained subjects and wait list controls suggest a training-induced shift from a greater coherence with regions supporting ruminative, narrative-based processing (hippocampal formation, posterior cingulate) to a greater coherence with regions supporting present moment, experiential processing (BA10, BA39, BA40). Greater coherence with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in wait list controls may reflect greater effort to resist narrative mind wandering (Farb et al, 2007). In summary, MBSR-training appears to induce changes in the nature of self-referential thought processes occurring in the absence of goal-directed behavior, facilitating present-centered self-awareness and reducing ruminative type thinking.
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | Patrick McNamara |
Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
Date | 2009-11-30 |
ISBN | 0521889588 |
Library Catalog | Amazon.com |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Recent technical advances in the life and medical sciences have revolutionized our understanding of the brain, while the emerging disciplines of social, cognitive, and affective neuroscience continue to reveal the connections of the higher cognitive functions and emotional states associated with religious experience to underlying brain states. At the same time, a host of developing theories in psychology and anthropology posit evolutionary explanations for the ubiquity and persistence of religious beliefs and the reports of religious experiences across human cultures, while gesturing toward physical bases for these behaviors. What is missing from this literature is a strong voice speaking to these behavioral and social scientists - as well as to the intellectually curious in the religious studies community - from the perspective of a brain scientist.
Type | Book |
---|---|
Author | Patrick McNamara |
Publisher | Praeger Publishers |
Date | 2006-09-30 |
ISBN | 0275987884 |
Short Title | Where God and Science Meet [Three Volumes] |
Library Catalog | Amazon.com |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Spiritual practices, or awakenings, have an impact on brain, mind and personality. These changes are being scientifically predicted and proven. For example, studies show Buddhist priests and Franciscan nuns at the peak of religious feelings show a functional change in the lobes of their brain. Similar processes have been found in people with epilepsy, which Hippocrates called “the sacred disease.” New research is showing that not only does a person’s brain activity change in particular areas while that person is experiencing religious epiphany, but such events can be created for some people, even self-professed atheists, by stimulating various parts of the brain. In this far-reaching and novel set, experts from across the nation and around the world present evolutionary, neuroscientific, and psychological approaches to explaining and exploring religion, including the newest findings and evidence that have spurred the fledgling field of neurotheology. It is not the goal of neurotheology to prove or disprove the existence of God, but to understand the biology of spiritual experiences. Such experiences seem to exist outside time and space - caused by the brain for some reason losing its perception of a boundary between physical body and outside world - and could help explain other intangible events, such as altered states of consciousness, possessions, alien visitations, near-death experiences and out-of-body events. Understanding them - as well as how and why these abilities evolved in the brain - could also help us understand how religion contributes to survival of the human race. Eminent contributors to this set help us answer questions including: How does religion better our brain function? What is the difference between a religious person and a terrorist who kills in the name of religion? Is there one site or function in the brain necessary for religious experience?
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | E Mohandas |
Abstract | Spiritual practices have been proposed to have many beneficial effects as far as mental health is concerned. The exact neural basis of these effects is slowly coming to light and different imaging techniques have elucidated the neural basis of meditative practices. The evidence though preliminary and based on studies replete with methodological constraints, points toward the involvement of the prefrontal and parietal cortices. The available data on meditation focus on activated frontal attentional network. Neuroimaging studies have shown that meditation results in an activation of the prefrontal cortex, activation of the thalamus and the inhibitory thalamic reticular nucleus and a resultant functional deafferentation of the parietal lobe. The neurochemical change as a result of meditative practices involves all the major neurotransmitter systems. The neurotransmitter changes contribute to the amelioration of anxiety and depressive symptomatology and in part explain the psychotogenic property of meditation. This overview highlights the involvement of multiple neural structures, the neurophysiological and neurochemical alterations observed in meditative practices. |
Publication | Mens Sana Monographs |
Volume | 6 |
Issue | 1 |
Pages | 63 |
Date | Jan 2008 |
Journal Abbr | Mens Sana Monogr |
DOI | 10.4103/0973-1229.33001 |
ISSN | 0973-1229 |
URL | http://www.msmonographs.org/article.asp? issn=0973-1229;year=2008;volume=6;issue=1;spage=63;epage=80;aulast=Mohandas |
Accessed | Tue Sep 29 09:44:46 2009 |
Library Catalog | CrossRef |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Spiritual practices have been proposed to have many beneficial effects as far as mental health is concerned. The exact neural basis of these effects is slowly coming to light and different imaging techniques have elucidated the neural basis of meditative practices. The evidence though preliminary and based on studies replete with methodological constraints, points toward the involvement of the prefrontal and parietal cortices. The available data on meditation focus on activated frontal attentional network. Neuroimaging studies have shown that meditation results in an activation of the prefrontal cortex, activation of the thalamus and the inhibitory thalamic reticular nucleus and a resultant functional deafferentation of the parietal lobe. The neurochemical change as a result of meditative practices involves all the major neurotransmitter systems. The neurotransmitter changes contribute to the amelioration of anxiety and depressive symptomatology and in part explain the psychotogenic property of meditation. This overview highlights the involvement of multiple neural structures, the neurophysiological and neurochemical alterations observed in meditative practices.
Type | Journal Article |
---|---|
Author | Andrew B. Newberg |
Author | Bruce Y. Lee |
Abstract | With the rapidly expanding field of neuroscience research exploring religious and spiritual phenomena, there have been many perspectives as to the validity, importance, relevance, and need for such research. In this essay we review the studies that have contributed to our current understanding of the neuropsychology of religious phenomena. We focus on methodological issues to determine which areas have been weaknesses and strengths in the current studies. This area of research also poses important theological and epistemological questions that require careful consideration if both the religious and scientific elements are to be appropriately respected. The best way to evaluate this field is to determine the methodological issues that currently affect the field and explore how best to address such issues so that future investigations can be as robust as possible and can become more mainstream in both the religious and the scientific arenas. |
Publication | Zygon |
Volume | 40 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 469-490 |
Date | 2005 |
DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-9744.2005.00675.x |
Short Title | The neuroscientific study of religious and spiritual phenomena |
URL | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9744.2005.00675.x |
Accessed | Tue Nov 10 19:27:06 2009 |
Library Catalog | Wiley InterScience |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Type | Book |
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Author | Andrew Newberg |
Author | Mark Robert Waldman |
Publisher | Free Press |
Date | 2006-09-12 |
ISBN | 0743274970 |
Short Title | Why We Believe What We Believe |
Library Catalog | Amazon.com |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Type | Book |
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Author | Andrew Newberg |
Author | Mark Robert Waldman |
Publisher | Ballantine Books |
Date | 2009-03-24 |
ISBN | 0345503414 |
Short Title | How God Changes Your Brain |
Library Catalog | Amazon.com |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Type | Book |
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Author | Todd Tremlin |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Date | 2006-03-02 |
ISBN | 0195305345 |
Short Title | Minds and Gods |
Library Catalog | Amazon.com |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Around the world and throughout history, in cultures as diverse as ancient Mesopotamia and modern America, human beings have been compelled by belief in gods and developed complex religions around them. But why? What makes belief in supernatural beings so widespread? And why are the gods of so many different people so similar in nature? This provocative book explains the origins and persistence of religious ideas by looking through the lens of science at the common structures and functions of human thought.
The first general introduction to the “cognitive science of religion,” Minds and Gods presents the major themes, theories, and thinkers involved in this revolutionary new approach to human religiosity. Arguing that we cannot understand what we think until we first understand how we think, the book sets out to study the evolutionary forces that modeled the modern human mind and continue to shape our ideas and actions today. Todd Tremlin details many of the adapted features of the brain -- illustrating their operation with examples of everyday human behavior -- and shows how mental endowments inherited from our ancestral past lead many people to naturally entertain religious ideas. In short, belief in gods and the social formation of religion have their genesis in biology, in powerful cognitive processes that all humans share.
In the course of illuminating the nature of religion, this book also sheds light on human nature: why we think we do the things we do and how the reasons for these things are so often hidden from view. This discussion ranges broadly across recent scientific findings in areas such as paleoanthropology, primate studies, evolutionary psychology, early brain development, and cultural transmission. While these subjects are complex, the story is told here in a conversational style that is engaging, jargon free, and accessible to all readers. With Minds and Gods, Tremlin offers a roadmap to a fascinating and growing field of study, one that is sure to generate interest and debate and provide readers with a better understanding of themselves and their beliefs.
Type | Book |
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Author | David Sloan Wilson |
Publisher | University Of Chicago Press |
Date | 2003-10-01 |
ISBN | 0226901351 |
Short Title | Darwin's Cathedral |
Library Catalog | Amazon.com |
Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |