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ED209
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
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 Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 6:58 pm Post subject: Brain Differences Between Believers And NonBelievers |
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Brain Differences Found Between Believers In God And Non-believers
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090304160400.htm
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ScienceDaily (Mar. 5, 2009) � Believing in God can help block anxiety and minimize stress, according to new University of Toronto research that shows distinct brain differences between believers and non-believers.
In two studies led by Assistant Psychology Professor Michael Inzlicht, participants performed a Stroop task � a well-known test of cognitive control � while hooked up to electrodes that measured their brain activity.
..."We found that religious people or even people who simply believe in the existence of God show significantly less brain activity in relation to their own errors. They're much less anxious and feel less stressed when they have made an error." |
Now, before anyone attacks this or me, please check your spelling. I will be picking up on any mistakes. And please don't get stressed out by a couple of 'biased' scientists. |
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mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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| Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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What's there to attack?
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| These correlations remained strong even after controlling for personality and cognitive ability, says Inzlicht, who also found that religious participants made fewer errors on the Stroop task than their non-believing counterparts. |
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JMO
Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Daegu
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| Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 8:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Interesting stuff. I wonder why believers are less stressed by mistakes than non believers. |
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ED209
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 8:49 pm Post subject: |
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| mithridates wrote: |
What's there to attack?
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| These correlations remained strong even after controlling for personality and cognitive ability, says Inzlicht, who also found that religious participants made fewer errors on the Stroop task than their non-believing counterparts. |
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Maybe non-believers are colour-blind 
Suggesting believers are less bothered by their mistakes may be cause for concern with some.
But it would be interesting to find why those with religious 'zeal' have less anxiety and activity in their anterior cingulate cortex(whatever that is). This raises many questions. Is it simply the trust in a higher being? Which religions does this apply to? Does the practising of a religion such as meditation or prayer affect one's anxiety? Religion can bring peace of mind to people, but it can also bring much dread of damnation. Do religious folk have a better grasp of language? Does anxiety cause a person to make more more mistakes? Is religion Prosac for the soul? |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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| ED209 wrote: |
Suggesting believers are less bothered by their mistakes may be cause for concern with some.
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Who are these some?
Let me guess . . . non-believers wielding a shaky brain map-test with tentative conclusions like a blunt rhetorical instrument? |
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ED209
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 6:26 am Post subject: |
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| Kuros wrote: |
Who are these some?
Let me guess . . . non-believers wielding a shaky brain map-test with tentative conclusions like a blunt rhetorical instrument? |
What's shaky, the test or the brain? Certainly my brain. |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:31 am Post subject: |
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| ED209 wrote: |
| Kuros wrote: |
Who are these some?
Let me guess . . . non-believers wielding a shaky brain map-test with tentative conclusions like a blunt rhetorical instrument? |
What's shaky, the test or the brain? Certainly my brain. |
The test seems shaky, just like all the other neural mapping tests. Just based on what little I've read here. Were there tasks involved? Because if we're getting these conclusions based largely on heat-imaging scans, I find the whole thing dubious. |
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PeteJB
Joined: 06 Jul 2007
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| Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Aw, us non-believers are having trouble understanding this article. Well, I think I caught some of the big words, mama, but I got a little lost along the way. |
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TexasPete
Joined: 24 May 2006
Location: Koreatown
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| Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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| JMO wrote: |
| Interesting stuff. I wonder why believers are less stressed by mistakes than non believers. |
Probably because believers think it's "meant to be" or "god's plan" while non-believers think they should have tried harder or planned more or it's their fault. |
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oldfatfarang
Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: On the road to somewhere.
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| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:01 pm Post subject: |
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| It's not really a scientific breaktrhough to suggest/find that happy people suffer less anxiety and stress. Or is it? |
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RJjr
Joined: 17 Aug 2006
Location: Turning on a Lamp
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| Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 3:42 am Post subject: |
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| TexasPete wrote: |
| JMO wrote: |
| Interesting stuff. I wonder why believers are less stressed by mistakes than non believers. |
Probably because believers think it's "meant to be" or "god's plan" while non-believers think they should have tried harder or planned more or it's their fault. |
Exactly.
It reminds me of when a kitten got ran over when I was 11 or 12. I was really upset about it, but my parents and siblings were cool about it, saying it was all part of god's plan. I didn't argue with them because I know how important religion is to them, but geez, how can a kitten getting crushed to death under a rear tire, then a front tire of a car and one of his eyes popping out be anyone's "plan"? But to my family, it was just god's plan aaaaaall along. 
R.I.P. Smokey |
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