Religion and the Brain

What were the general preconditions for the emergence of religious ideas in humans?

The emergence of religious ideas, in my view, was conditioned by the impossibility at the time to explain natural phenomena by any material cause. Humans are a pack animal, highly dependent on others in a herd, so people believe each other’s words. The inability to know real mechanisms of the world and mutual trust are the reasons for the emergence of religion.

From an anthropological perspective, is it known how long religious ideas have existed – just like our species, or did these phenomena become possible only at some, say, particular stage of development of the central nervous system (CNS)?

The CNS after we became humans has not really evolved further. Humans are a product of evolution, and after our species formed, the structure of the brain remains roughly the same. Thus our brain is not different from the brains of people living in primitive jungle conditions. The religious idea of the world formed in human society gradually—from primitive beliefs in spirits to monotheism. However, at least one tribe is known—the Piraha—that holds atheistic-like views on the world. It is hard to say when religious beliefs began. They have found artifacts indicating that religious beliefs could have existed even among Neanderthals.

“Perhaps my faith is weak”—why do different people believe to different extents? Is this caused only by environment and experience, or are there physiological and anatomical features of our body and brain in particular?

Belief is difficult to measure, so we know about it only through believers’ words. For instance, atheists, on average, have a higher IQ, and the ability for critical thinking negatively correlates with the degree of religious belief. In some anatomical sense, a believer’s brain is not different from an atheist’s brain, at least for now, as this has not been found. Of course, people who grow up in a religious or atheistic environment tend to develop a certain worldview from childhood.

However, some neurological diseases such as epilepsy and schizophrenia correlate with religiosity. Also, brain injuries in the temporal region of the cortex with high probability cause hallucinations and feelings of religious content. This brain region is nicknamed the “God spot,” and its stimulation during an epileptic seizure coincides with the feeling of the presence of God.

What happens in the brain during prayer? Is it really a characteristic state of CNS activity?

During prayer, if it is genuine and not just rote words, the brain is in the same state as during meditation, i.e., between wakefulness and sleep. Thus EEG recordings of the brains of Buddhist and Christian monks have shown a slowing of brain waves corresponding to a state between sleep and wakefulness.

Can there be scientific justification for the healing properties of prayer?

Prayer as a form of meditation has a certain influence on the state of the nervous system. This occurs because during meditation brain activity changes, which positively affects processes in the neural network.

Are there physiological grounds for the conviction of the type “what happens to us is what we believe in”?

If a person believes in something, he consciously and subconsciously tries to achieve his goal, which people may then explain as what happens to us without our will. There are separate cases where intense religious mental practices helped with certain illnesses. The reason may be changes in nervous system functioning, which to this day are unknown to us, affecting CNS processes. The irregularity and unpredictability of such cases hinder studying this phenomenon.

Is it appropriate to talk about the influence of religion on human evolution?

Human evolution does not depend on specific religions, but the ability to believe is an evolutionary asset. It’s also necessary to distinguish religious views from rites that some peoples carry out under the banner of religion. Rites themselves have nothing to do with religion. Religion is a worldview, not a set of inclinations, bows, kneelings, or something else that may have adaptive functions.

Are there any known differences in brain and bodily functioning among representatives of different confessions, as well as atheists?

Analysis of brain activity of Buddhists during meditation and Christian monks during prayer did not show a substantial difference.

Believing is energetically advantageous for the brain; believers have fewer mental health problems, and on average they live longer. At the same time, imposing religious beliefs on children can hinder their intellectual development. Faith is a person’s relationship with God, and it is hardly appropriate to persuade people to believe or not to believe, or to dictate what or whom to believe in.

Photo by Jeremy Perkins on Unsplash

And we wish our readers, at least, to always believe in themselves! :)