Published: 18 March, 2009, 12:20
Edited: 18 March, 2009, 12:20
People with strong religious beliefs are less anxious and self-doubting than their sceptical counterparts, according to a study of brain activity.
Researchers in Canada tested 50 people and found out that the deeply-devoted showed less reaction in the part of the brain associated with decision-making and reward anticipation, reports New Scientist magazine.
“Religion offers an interpretative framework to understand the world. It lets you know when to act, how to act, and what to do in specific situation,” says Michael Inzlicht, a neuroscientist at the University of Toronto, who led the new study. “It provides a kind of blueprint on how to interact with the world.”
The students who took part in the study came from different religious and cultural backgrounds. While the majority were Christians, scientists also tested Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and atheists.
The subjects were asked to pass the 'Stroop task', where they are shown the words ‘red’, ‘blue’, ‘green’ and so on written in different colours. They then have to press a button corresponding to the colour rather then the word. Researchers then monitored brain activity in the so-called anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). People with anxiety disorders tended to show high activity in the region.
The students with strong religious beliefs exhibited less ACC activity than their less fervent counterparts. The trend was evident even when intelligence and personality traits were taken into account.
It's thought that one explanation could be that religions appealed more to people with certain brain characteristics, but Inzlicht suspects that its religion that changes the way how our brain works. He also said other belief systems may have a similar effect. One of his previous studies showed that affirmed conservatives in the US have weaker ACC reaction then liberals.
Inzlicht believes that keen sports fans could also have a similar buffer to dealing with day-to-day concerns and confusion.