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Scientists have identified areas of the brain that, when damaged, lead to greater spirituality. The findings hint at the roots of spiritual and religious attitudes, the researchers say.
The study, published in the Feb. 11 issue of the journal Neuron, involves a personality trait called self-transcendence, which is a somewhat vague measure of spiritual feeling, thinking, and behaviors. Self-transcendence "reflects a decreased sense of self and an ability to identify one's self as an integral part of the universe as a whole," the researchers explain.
Before and after surgery, the scientists surveyed patients who had brain tumors removed. The surveys generate self-transcendence scores. Selective damage to the left and right posterior parietal regions of the brain induced a specific increase in self-transcendence, or ST, the surveys showed.
"Our symptom-lesion mapping study is the first demonstration of a causative link between brain functioning and ST," said Dr. Cosimo Urgesi from the University of Udine in Italy. "Damage to posterior parietal areas induced unusually fast changes of a stable personality dimension related to transcendental self-referential awareness. Thus, dysfunctional parietal neural activity may underpin altered spiritual and religious attitudes and behaviors."
Links to Spirituality Found in the Brain - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100212/sc_livescience/linkstospiritualityfoundinthebrain - broken link)
Scientists have identified areas of the brain that, when damaged, lead to greater spirituality. The findings hint at the roots of spiritual and religious attitudes, the researchers say.
The study, published in the Feb. 11 issue of the journal Neuron, involves a personality trait called self-transcendence, which is a somewhat vague measure of spiritual feeling, thinking, and behaviors. Self-transcendence "reflects a decreased sense of self and an ability to identify one's self as an integral part of the universe as a whole," the researchers explain.
Before and after surgery, the scientists surveyed patients who had brain tumors removed. The surveys generate self-transcendence scores. Selective damage to the left and right posterior parietal regions of the brain induced a specific increase in self-transcendence, or ST, the surveys showed.
"Our symptom-lesion mapping study is the first demonstration of a causative link between brain functioning and ST," said Dr. Cosimo Urgesi from the University of Udine in Italy. "Damage to posterior parietal areas induced unusually fast changes of a stable personality dimension related to transcendental self-referential awareness. Thus, dysfunctional parietal neural activity may underpin altered spiritual and religious attitudes and behaviors."
Links to Spirituality Found in the Brain - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100212/sc_livescience/linkstospiritualityfoundinthebrain - broken link)
I agree with Soccersupporter. Most of those 'scientists' who were involved in the study were probably atheists subconsciously looking for validation of their beliefs; this is similar to creationists who deny the evidence of macro-evolution to validate their beliefs. I'm quite happy in my faith and have no desire to prove through science that my religion is true, or prove that religion isn't true through science.
And some people like to accuse those who don't have this 'spiritual self-transcendence' as being simple "concrete thinkers". Next they'll tell us that our parietal neural activity is the dysfunctional type.. The correct type is that which functions reminiscent of brain damage..
I noticed the amount of support given by religious groups towards mentally ill and may be a factor to the amount of mentally ill that turned spiritual.
I agree with Soccersupporter. Most of those 'scientists' who were involved in the study were probably atheists subconsciously looking for validation of their beliefs; this is similar to creationists who deny the evidence of macro-evolution to validate their beliefs. I'm quite happy in my faith and have no desire to prove through science that my religion is true, or prove that religion isn't true through science.
I read stuff like this, and I rethink my strategy to try to be a better person.
Well if you are just looking for 30 pages of responses, then you worded the topic thread properly, as it isn't entirely accurate and is however inflammatory.
Spirituality is a mental illness
Quote:
Scientists have identified areas of the brain that, when damaged, lead to greater spirituality. The findings hint at the roots of spiritual and religious attitudes, the researchers say.
I've read the entire article and no where does it state that "spirituality is a mental illness".
It does however point to how various areas of the brain are linked to tendencies among people to have greater belief in spiritualism. It also claims that in brains damaged by tumors and their removal, can illicit these same types of effects. It doesn't mention that if these results were based solely upon the brain being damaged from the tumor or subsequent surgery, or the rewiring of the brain during the healing process.
However, no where does it state mental illness and spirituality being linked.
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