IS THERE AN IMPACT, DO CERTAIN PARTS OF THE BRAIN LIGHT UP, IS
THERE MORE ELECTORAL ACTIVITY IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE BRAIN?
I
LOVE STUDIES LIKE THIS BECAUSE IT IS NOT RELIANT ON SELF
REPORTING, IT IS RELIABLE ON MRI SCANS AND FROM THESE SCANS,
RESEARCHERS HAVE FOUND THAT A RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE CAN BE JUST
AS ADDICTIVE AS LOVE OR USING ADDICTIVE DRUGS.
THE
RESEARCHERS IN THIS CASE ARE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND THEIR REPORTING THAT RELIGIOUS AND
SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES ACTIVATE REWARD CIRCUITS IN THE BRAIN,
THE SAME THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH FEELINGS OF LOVE AND
DRUG-INDUCED FOREX STATES.
THEY DID AT THIS STORY ON 19 YOUNG
BUT ABOUT MORMONS.
THESE ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO DID MISSIONARY
WORK. 12 MALES AND SEVEN FEMALES.
THEY ARE VERY MUCH
DEDICATED TO THEIR RELIGION.
WHAT THEY DID WAS HAVE THESE
EXERCISES WHERE IT OF VAUX SPIRITUAL FEELINGS.
TO FIGURED
TO TRIGGER THESE RELIGIOUS FEELINGS, PARTICIPANTS WERE
GIVEN FOR TAX OVER THE COURSE OF AN HOUR WHILE THEIR BRAINS WERE
SCANNED.
THE REAL EXERCISES WERE DESIGNATED TO MIMIC THE MORMON
RELIGION.
AUDIO VISIBLE PRESENTATIONS OF RELIGIOUS MUSIC
WITH IMAGES OF BIBLICAL SCENES AND OTHER STRONGLY RELIGIOUS
CONTENT.
THEY ARE DOING ALL THIS RELIGIOUS STUFF IN THERE
SCANNING THE BRAINS AND TRYING TO SEE WHICH PART OF YOUR BRAIN
LIGHTS UP.
HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED.
WHEN OUR STUDY PARTICIPANTS WERE INSTRUCTED TO THINK ABOUT A
SAVIOR, ABOUT BEING WITH THEIR FAMILIES FOR ETERNITY,
ABOUT THEIR HEAVENLY REWARDS, THEIR BRAINS AND THEIR
BODIES PHYSICALLY RESPONDED.
WHICH PART?
OKAY.
THEY EXPERIENCED AN ELEVATED HEART RATE, SO THERE'S
THAT, DEEPENING OF BREATH AND ALSO ACTIVATION OF THE NUCLEUS
ACCUMBENS WHICH IS THE BRAIN'S REWARD CENTER.
THEY ALSO
EXPERIENCED INCREASED ALERTNESS.
THERE WAS ALSO ACTIVATION OF
THE VENTRAL MEDIA PREFRONTAL CORTEX WHICH IS THE PART OF
THE BRAIN, LIKES PART OF THE BRAIN BUT DECISION-MAKING
IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF IT.
AS WE ALL KNOW.
I DON'T KNOW.
THAT'S INTERESTING.
THEY SAID IN THE REPORTING THAT SOME
OF THEM OR MANY OF THEM WERE DRIVEN TO TEARS BY THE
EXPERIENCE.
BEAR IN MIND THEY ARE IN AN FMRI.
THIS IS NOT
JUST SURROUNDED BY BEAUTIFUL HOLY PLACE.
YOU ARE STRAPPED
INTO THIS THING LIKE YOU ARE IN CLOCKWORK ORANGE AND THEY ARE
STILL DRIVEN TO TEARS BY THOUGHTS OF STAYING WITH HER
FAMILY FOREVER AND A SAVIOR AND ALL OF THAT WHICH IS
INTERESTING, AND LOOK, THERE ARE THINGS THAT CAUSE ME TO TEAR UP.
THEIR MOVIES LIKE THE END OF BRAVEHEART.
I AM NOT GETTING
THROUGH THAT WITHOUT TEARING UP THE END, WATCHING THE MOVIE
HOMEWARD BOUND.
I AM GOING TO CRY.
I GET BEING MOVED BY
SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT WATCHING BUT THE
INTERESTING DISTINCTION IS THAT THEY THINK IT'S TRUE THAT
IT GETS REAL DARK.
I THINK YOU ARE COMPARING APPLES AND ORANGES.
THEY WERE SHOWN IMAGES AND LISTEN TO MUSIC.
THEY WERE SHOWN A DARK.
I KNOW, BUT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AN EMOTIONAL MOVIE THAT
PULLS ON YOUR HEARTSTRINGS.
I GET THAT.
FOR THEM, THE
RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE, IT'S LIKE A DRUG.
IT'S A REWARD.
THEIR
BRAIN IS REWARDING THEM FOR FEELING THIS WAY SO IT BECOMES
ADDICTIVE.
IT IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
I DON'T KNOW IF I'M DOING A GOOD JOB IN ARTICULATING THE
DISTINCTION.
BUT DOESN'T IT SOMETIMES FEEL LIKE, I KNOW WE ARE ALL ONE
SPECIES BUT SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE WE ARE BECAUSE FOR
WHATEVER REASON, AND I GREW UP GROWING THE CHURCH, LUTHERAN AND
ROMAN CATHOLIC.
MY FAMILY EXTENSIVELY BELIEVED IN GOD OR
WHATEVER, MY GRANDFATHER AT LEAST ON ONE SIDE STILL DOES.
A
VERY LIBERAL CHRISTIAN.
I LOOK AT IT AND I SAY THAT'S NOT REAL.
IT'S NOT EVEN A PROCESS I HAVE TO GO THROUGH MY BRAIN AND
FOR SOME PEOPLE, IT IS SO CLEARLY TRUE THAT IT DRIVES
THEM TO TEARS JUST THINKING ABOUT IT EVEN WHILE
STRAPPED INTO MEDICAL EQUIPMENT.
THAT IS SUCH A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.
IT'S AMAZING TO ME.
I ALSO GREW GOING TO CHURCH, EVERY SUNDAY.
UNTIL I WAS 19,
BUT I THINK I STARTED WHEN I WAS FIVE OR SOMETHING.
A LONG TIME,
EVERY SUNDAY WENT TO CHURCH FOR EASTER WITH MY FAMILY, MY FAMILY
IS VERY RELIGIOUS.
I REMEMBER GOING TO CHURCH, ONCE I'M WITH
MY GRANDMA AND I REMEMBER HER KNEELING DOWN AND JUST SOBBING
AND I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND IT.
AND OR KNOW WHY IT IS THAT IT
IMPACTS CERTAIN PEOPLE IN A VERY DIFFERENT WAY BUT IT MIGHT HAVE
TO DO WITH LIFE EXPERIENCES, IT MIGHT HAVE TO DO WITH THIS NEED
TO HAVE FAITH IN AN AFTERLIFE.
REMEMBER, ACCEPTING THE FACT
THAT THERE IS NO AFTERLIFE IS A VERY DIFFICULT THING FOR SOME
PEOPLE TO DO.
TO THINK THAT ONCE YOU ARE DEAD, YOU ARE GONE.
THERE IS NO SOLAR NOTHING.
THAT IS A DIFFICULT THING FOR A
LOT OF PEOPLE.
I UNDERSTAND THE LORE OF RELIGION AND I DON'T
MIND RELIGIOUS PEOPLE AS LONG AS THEIR RELIGION DOESN'T DICTATE
MY LIFE OR OUR LAWMAKERS AND POLICIES.
AS LONG AS YOU ARE NOT CAUSING HER AND OTHER PEOPLE.
IF YOU ARE HAVING THIS PROFOUND EXPERIENCE BECAUSE OF
RELIGIOUS SCRIPTURE WHATEVER IT IS, DO YOU, JUST DON'T
ALLOW THAT TO DICTATE THE LIVES OF OTHER PEOPLE.