What happens in the brain during prayer? Why does faith in God or gods become a source of happiness and harmony for many? Is it possible to artificially evoke a mystical revelation? A new science, neurotheology, is trying to answer these questions.
Belief in the other world, irreducible to physical reality, living according to its own laws, has accompanied us at all times. The idea of the soul – an invisible substance that lives independently of our physical shell – permeates our entire culture. Even among materialists, there are many who believe that deep religiosity has a beneficial effect on our lives.
But what is the nature of this religiosity? If it really comes from a supernatural connection with a Higher Power, then there is only one way we can reach it—through faith. But if our brain itself inspires us with this state, then perhaps there is a way to control it. Neuroscientists are trying to figure it out with their own means.
Neurons of Faith
God did not create us, but rather the opposite – a higher power is a product of our mind, says neuroscientist Andrew Newberg (Andrew Newberg). This is due to increased arousal in certain areas of the brain. It changes our perception, makes us believe that someone invisible communicates with us, knows all our thoughts and can give us protection.
Newberg scanned the brains of several volunteers while meditating and praying. He found high activity in the limbic system, which controls emotions. On the other hand, the devices detected a decrease in activity in the parietal lobe. This part of the brain is responsible for orientation in space and time. “When you go into meditation, you lose the sense of boundaries,” comments Andrew Newberg. – You have a feeling of unity with the world, the idea that everything around is interconnected. Your “I” seems to dissolve into nothingness, into God or the Universe, depending on your belief system.”
These experiences speak to how deeply we are able to influence the processes in our own brain.
Many cultures have rituals that involve participants in experiencing mystical oneness with each other and connection with the world. Ascesis and constant prayers, characteristic of Christian Carmelite monks, Muslim Sufis and Buddhist monks, introduce believers into a state of altered consciousness.
In this state, they can travel outside their body, hear otherworldly voices, and see wondrous images. But if Newberg and his colleagues are right, these experiences do not prove the existence of higher powers, but rather show how deeply we are able to influence the processes in our own brain.
Perfume on call
If religion is only a product of our mind, then it can be reproduced artificially. In the 1990s, Canadian cognitive neuropsychologist Michael Persinger invented the God Helmet. This is a device that, according to the scientist, made it possible to simulate a religious experience by influencing the parietal lobe with magnetic fields.
Despite the protests of some believers and the objections of skeptics that it is impossible to create a “God from a machine”, the results were impressive. About 80% of those who wore a helmet reported that they felt someone’s presence in the room. Many took him for a deity. They also reported a deep emotional strain, and felt the end of the experiment as a loss.
Persinger came to the conclusion that divine visions – not to mention out-of-body experiences or, for example, visits by the spirits of the dead or aliens – are nothing more than the action of electromagnetic vibrations associated with movements in the earth’s crust. In 2001, Persinger tested the helmet on one of the most staunch atheists in the world, biologist Richard Dawkins.
During the experiment, Dawkins reported weakness in his legs and arms, but insisted that he did not see God and did not feel the presence of another being in his mind. True, according to Persinger, the scientist could have reduced the sensitivity of the parietal lobe compared to others.
Guiding genes
Perhaps Dawkins was among those who lack the VMAT2 gene. It regulates the flow of chemicals called monoamines that govern our mood. According to American molecular geneticist Dean Hamer, carriers of this gene were more susceptible to mystical experiences.
Many neuroscientists attribute the intensity of our spiritual experiences to the genes responsible for the production and transmission of the neurotransmitters dopamine or serotonin.
Another study found that people who experienced supernatural forces intervening in their lives used fear-related channels of information when talking about them. Those whose religious views were based on a particular teaching usually use the language path.
Atheists, as a rule, use the visual channel when speaking about their views. Perhaps they simply relate the idea of the supernatural to their sensory experience and then dismiss it as unrealistic.
What can replace religion?
Changes in the structure of the brain can make us, on the contrary, lose interest in faith. For example, many patients with Parkinson’s disease stop attending worship services and refuse to participate in their communities. Neuroscientist Patrick McNamara and his colleagues compared the brain scans of patients with reduced cravings for religion and those who remained at the same level.
It turned out that the first group had disturbances in the production of dopamine. Patrick McNamara suspects that religiosity has something to do with dopamine activity in the prefrontal lobe. “These parts of the brain are responsible for complex experiences that we don’t normally experience in everyday life,” he explains. “Dopamine neurons seem to play an active role in our spiritual lives. Their damage deprives our lives of a sense of wonder and higher meaning.».
In general, Makamara and his colleagues agree that religiosity, if it does not reach fanaticism, does us a lot of good. Thus, it gives us a sense of meaning in life, motivates us to pro-social (beneficial to society) actions and restrains our aggressive impulses.
Rituals such as prayer, worship, fasting can enhance the frontal lobes’ ability to self-control. In addition to these benefits, religions give their followers a powerful sense of support and acceptance.
And this is important not only for mental, but also for physical health: lack of social contacts can be more harmful to health than obesity, alcoholism and fifteen cigarettes smoked a day.1.
We can find another source of meaning – for example, caring for nature, serving people, increasing knowledge about the world.
But if faith can strengthen our biological and psychological immune systems, what about those who prefer to do without it? Pretend to be a believer? But this is unlikely to work: Religion scholar Graham Ward reminds us that trying to go against our beliefs causes us a lot of stress.
He sees a way out in borrowing some rituals from believers, creating their neutral counterparts. “Quasi-religious practices like mindfulness meditation can be a good substitute for a religious experience in the modern world,” says Ward. Right now, when we live in constant excitement and stress, we lack deep feelings. Not all of us can get them from religion. But we can find another source of meaning – for example, caring for nature, serving people, increasing knowledge about the world.
1 PLoS Medicine, 2010, vol. 7