Finding Religion In The Brain

      The idea of religion can be mystical and unexplainable, but throughout history it served as the driving force for many decisions and was often the point of conflict for different groups. Whether you consider yourself religious or not, it would be impossible to deny the impact religion has had on the development of humans.

      Many people would consider religion to be an abstract idea; however, cognitive neuroscientists have taken on the task of  making religion more concrete by explaining how the brain processes religious ideas, as well as identifying which brain structures are involved. One neuroscientist in particular, Dr. Grafman, has taken on this challenge and conducts studies on individuals with high mysticism to see how their brain differs from an individual with low mysticism. During his presentation at Loyola University, Dr. Grafman explained that various parts of the brain are involved in creating religious experiences. However, in this particular study he specifically looks at injured veterans with lesions to the brain in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and the temporal cortex (TC) to see what role those two areas play in mystical experiences. The participants were rated using a mysticism scale and compared to a control group of people with no brain injuries. The findings revealed that participants with lesions to dlPFC scored higher on the mysticism scale, suggesting that they are more likely to have a religious experience or believe in religion. Additionally, participants with lesions to  the TC scored similar to the control group. The results of the experiment support current data on the dlPFC and the CT.  The dlPFC is seen as a regulator of executive brain functions, so inhibiting its function through lesioning could cause someone to be more susceptible to experiencing a mystical moment. Additionally, other studies show that an overactive CT, due to epilepsy, can result in an increase in mystical moments, which supports the finding in this experiment. Overall, this study shines some light on the idea of religion and makes it less abstract by allowing us to identify areas of the brain that are involved in processing religious ideas and physically see who might be more susceptible to religious experiences.

      

         In tandem with Dr. Grafman's research, another scientist named Michael Persinger developed a machine that he uses to "induce the presence of God." While this might seem farfetched, the machine uses science rather than religion to do so. Persinger's machine uses electrodes to alter the electromagnetic field of the temporal which causes some subjects to sense a presence similar to what religious people describe. The machine does not have the same effect on all participants, but Persinger explains that some people are more predisposed to experience religious events than others. Nonetheless, the studies done by Dr. Grafman and Dr. Persinger supports the fact that religion can be found in the brain, and that the brain plays a significant role in how people experience religion.

Works Cited 

Irene Cristofori, Joseph Bulbulia, John H. Shaver, Marc Wilson, Frank Krueger, Jordan Grafman, Neural correlates of mystical experience, Neuropsychologia, Volume 80, 8 January 2016, Pages 212-220, ISSN 0028-3932, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.11.021.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0028393215302360)

http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/brain-religion2.htm

Image:

http://www.drodd.com/images13/michelangelo-paintings13.jpg