The Biology of BeliefThe Biology of Belief

Science and religion argue all the time, but Science and religion argue all the time, but they increasingly agree on one thing: they increasingly agree on one thing: a little a little spirituality may be very good for your health.spirituality may be very good for your health.

Which part of the brain particularly concerning Which part of the brain particularly concerning matter of faith?matter of faith?

If you’ve ever If you’ve ever prayed so hardprayed so hard that you’ve lost that you’ve lost all sense of a larger world outside yourself, all sense of a larger world outside yourself, that’s your that’s your parietal lobe at work..

If you’ve ever If you’ve ever meditated so deeplymeditated so deeply that you’d that you’d swear the very boundaries of your body had swear the very boundaries of your body had dissolved, that’s dissolved, that’s your parietal too..

Spiritual Amusement parkSpiritual Amusement park

There are other regions responsible for making There are other regions responsible for making your brain the spiritual amusement park it can your brain the spiritual amusement park it can be:be: Your thalamus plays a roleYour thalamus plays a role As do your frontal lobesAs do your frontal lobes

But it’s your parietal lobe – a central mass of But it’s your parietal lobe – a central mass of tissue that processes sensory input – that may tissue that processes sensory input – that may have the most transporting effect.have the most transporting effect.

Here’s what SurprisingHere’s what Surprising

A growing body of scientific evidence A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that faith may indeed bring us health.suggests that faith may indeed bring us health.

People who attend religious services do have a lower People who attend religious services do have a lower risk of dying in any one year than people who don’t risk of dying in any one year than people who don’t attend.attend.

People who believe in a loving God far better after a People who believe in a loving God far better after a diagnosis of illness than people who don’t believe in diagnosis of illness than people who don’t believe in god.god.

Dr. Gail Ironson, a professor of psychiatry and Dr. Gail Ironson, a professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Miami who psychology at the University of Miami who studies HIV and religious belief says, studies HIV and religious belief says, spirituality predicts for better disease control.spirituality predicts for better disease control.

Your viral loads goes down when you include Your viral loads goes down when you include spirituality in your fight against HIV because your spirituality in your fight against HIV because your levels of cortisol – a stress hormone – go down first.levels of cortisol – a stress hormone – go down first.

It’s All in Your HeadIt’s All in Your Head Newberg’s work of past 15 years, the author of Newberg’s work of past 15 years, the author of

four books, including the soon-to-be-released four books, including the soon-to-be-released How God Changes Your Brain, he has looked , he has looked more closely than most at how our spiritual more closely than most at how our spiritual data-processing center works, conducting data-processing center works, conducting various types of brain scans on more than 100 various types of brain scans on more than 100 people.people.

When people engage in prayer, it’s the frontal When people engage in prayer, it’s the frontal lobes that take the lead, since they govern lobes that take the lead, since they govern focus and concentration. focus and concentration.

During the very deep prayer, the parietal lobe During the very deep prayer, the parietal lobe powers down, which is what allows us to powers down, which is what allows us to experience that sense of having loosed our experience that sense of having loosed our earthly moorings.earthly moorings.

Experimental evidencesExperimental evidences Pray and meditate enough and some changes in the Pray and meditate enough and some changes in the

brain become permanent.brain become permanent.

Long-term meditators – those with 15 years of Long-term meditators – those with 15 years of practice or more – appear to have thicker frontal lodes practice or more – appear to have thicker frontal lodes than nonmeditators. than nonmeditators.

People who describe themselves as highly spiritual People who describe themselves as highly spiritual tend to exhibit as asymmetry in the thalamus- a tend to exhibit as asymmetry in the thalamus- a feature that other people can develop after just eight feature that other people can develop after just eight weeks of training in meditation skills. weeks of training in meditation skills.

Better functioning frontal lobes help boost Better functioning frontal lobes help boost memory. In one stud, Newberg scanned the memory. In one stud, Newberg scanned the brains of people who complained of poor brains of people who complained of poor recall before they underwent meditation recall before they underwent meditation training, then scanned them again after. As the training, then scanned them again after. As the lobes bulked up, memory improved.lobes bulked up, memory improved.

Take FastingTake Fasting

Why do we fast?Why do we fast? One of staples of both traditional wellness One of staples of both traditional wellness

protocols and traditional religious rituals is the protocols and traditional religious rituals is the cleansing fast, which is said to purge toxins in cleansing fast, which is said to purge toxins in the first case and purge sins or serve other the first case and purge sins or serve other pious ends in the second.pious ends in the second.

This fasts may lead to a state of clarity and This fasts may lead to a state of clarity and even euphoria.even euphoria.

This in turn, can give practitioners the blissful sense This in turn, can give practitioners the blissful sense that whether the goal of the food restriction is health that whether the goal of the food restriction is health or spiritual insight, it’s being achieved. May be it is, or spiritual insight, it’s being achieved. May be it is, but there’s also chemical legerdemain at work.but there’s also chemical legerdemain at work.

““There are very real changes that occur in the body There are very real changes that occur in the body very rapidly that might explain the clarity during very rapidly that might explain the clarity during fasting,”fasting,” says Dr. Catherine Gordon, an says Dr. Catherine Gordon, an endocrinologist at Children’s Hospital in Boston.endocrinologist at Children’s Hospital in Boston.

How powerful is Prayer?How powerful is Prayer?

For most believers, the element of religious For most believers, the element of religious life that intersects most naturally with health is life that intersects most naturally with health is prayer.prayer.

In 1988 study by cardiologist Randolph Byrd In 1988 study by cardiologist Randolph Byrd of San Francisco General Hospital found that of San Francisco General Hospital found that heart patients who were prayed for fared heart patients who were prayed for fared better than those who were not.better than those who were not.

Wonder DrugWonder Drug First describe in the medical literature in the 1780s, the First describe in the medical literature in the 1780s, the

placebo effect can work all manner of curative magic against placebo effect can work all manner of curative magic against all manner of ills.all manner of ills.

Give a patient a sugar pill but call it an analgesic, and pain Give a patient a sugar pill but call it an analgesic, and pain may actually go away.may actually go away.

Newberg describes a cancer patient whose tumors shrank Newberg describes a cancer patient whose tumors shrank when he was given an experimental drug, grew back when he when he was given an experimental drug, grew back when he learned that the drug was ineffective in other patients and learned that the drug was ineffective in other patients and shrank again when his doctor administered sterile water but shrank again when his doctor administered sterile water but said it was a more powerful version of the medication. The said it was a more powerful version of the medication. The U.S Food and Drug Administration ultimately declared that U.S Food and Drug Administration ultimately declared that drug ineffective, and the patient died.drug ineffective, and the patient died.

Faith and LongevityFaith and Longevity

One way to test this is simply to study the health of One way to test this is simply to study the health of regular churgoers. Social demographer Robert regular churgoers. Social demographer Robert Hummer of the University of Texas has been Hummer of the University of Texas has been following a population of subjects since 1992, and his following a population of subjects since 1992, and his results are hard to argue with.results are hard to argue with.

Those who never attend religious services have twice Those who never attend religious services have twice the risk of dying over the next eight years as people the risk of dying over the next eight years as people who attend once a week.who attend once a week.

A similar analysis by Danial Hall, an A similar analysis by Danial Hall, an Episcopal priest and a surgeon at the Episcopal priest and a surgeon at the university of Pittsburgh Medical Centre, found university of Pittsburgh Medical Centre, found that church attendance accounts for two to that church attendance accounts for two to three additional years of life.three additional years of life.

Neal Krause, a sociologist and public health expert at Neal Krause, a sociologist and public health expert at the university of Michigan, has tried to quantify some the university of Michigan, has tried to quantify some of those more amorphous variables in a longitudinal of those more amorphous variables in a longitudinal study of 1500 people that has been conducting since, study of 1500 people that has been conducting since, 1997.1997.

He found that those people who give help fare even He found that those people who give help fare even better than those who receive it – a pillar of religious better than those who receive it – a pillar of religious belief if ever there was one.belief if ever there was one.

He also found that people who maintain a sense of He also found that people who maintain a sense of gratitude for what’s going right in their lives have a gratitude for what’s going right in their lives have a reduced incidence of depression, which itself a reduced incidence of depression, which itself a predictor of health.predictor of health.

In another study he conducted that was just In another study he conducted that was just accepted for publication, he found that accepted for publication, he found that “people who believe their lives have meaning “people who believe their lives have meaning live longer than people who don’t”.live longer than people who don’t”.