Ajackson17
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In their findings, the researchers said subjects who perceive a supernatural agent at work in their daily lives tend to use brain pathways associated with the regulation of fear when asked to contemplate their religious beliefs.
And subjects with religious beliefs based on doctrine, such as knowledge of religious scripture, tend to use pathways associated with language when they contemplate religion.
However, non-religious subjects tend to use pathways associated with visual imagery when they contemplate religion, according to the study.
Deshpande said those finding suggest subjects with a greater capacity to imagine visual images are less likely to be religious.
He proposed that those subjects attempt to visually imagine a supernatural agent as a test of its existence and subsequently reject the idea as unlikely when that image does not fit with any known image in their memory.
The researchers also found individuals with a stronger ability to attribute mental states -- such as beliefs, desires and intents -- to themselves and understand that others may have different mental states tend to be more religious.
http://blog.al.com/wire/2014/01/religious_brains_function_diff.html
And subjects with religious beliefs based on doctrine, such as knowledge of religious scripture, tend to use pathways associated with language when they contemplate religion.
However, non-religious subjects tend to use pathways associated with visual imagery when they contemplate religion, according to the study.
Deshpande said those finding suggest subjects with a greater capacity to imagine visual images are less likely to be religious.
He proposed that those subjects attempt to visually imagine a supernatural agent as a test of its existence and subsequently reject the idea as unlikely when that image does not fit with any known image in their memory.
The researchers also found individuals with a stronger ability to attribute mental states -- such as beliefs, desires and intents -- to themselves and understand that others may have different mental states tend to be more religious.
http://blog.al.com/wire/2014/01/religious_brains_function_diff.html