http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/spirituality/ A scientific look at the nature of spirituality, including meditation, near death experiences, religion and altered states of consciousness. en-us Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:05:01 EST Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/spirituality/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104161902.htm Do pediatric oncologists feel that religion is a bridge or a barrier to their work? Or do they feel it can be either, depending on whether their patients are recovering or deteriorating? A novel study examines these questions in a new study. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104161902.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026161842.htm A national survey of physicians' experience with hospital chaplains found that the vast majority of doctors were satisfied with the spiritual services provided. However, physicians in the Northeast and those with a dim view of religion's effects on patients were less likely to be pleased. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026161842.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005092302.htm While the human brain responds very differently to religious and nonreligious propositions, the process of believing or disbelieving a statement, whether religious or not, seems to be governed by the same areas in the brain. Sun, 11 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005092302.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090927150348.htm A study of rowers has shown that members of a team who exercised together were able to tolerate twice as much pain as when they trained on their own. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090927150348.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916223740.htm Rates of births to teenage mothers are strongly predicted by conservative religious beliefs, even after controlling for differences in income and rates of abortion. Researchers have found a strong association between teenage birth rates and state-level measures of religiosity in the United States. Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916223740.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914131933.htm Researchers provided a nationally-represented sample of adults with an online survey about the US Supreme Court's ruling on physician-assisted suicide. More religious participants tended to trust the Supreme Court's ability to make the right decision while the group with strong moral convictions felt distrust. And both groups, as it turned out, based their beliefs on a gut reaction rather than on thoughtful, careful deliberation. Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914131933.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824182537.htm Weight Watchers is the world's largest support group, with more than 1.5 million members worldwide. What makes overweight consumers turn to this organization for help? A new study says dieters are attracted to its combination of spirituality and therapy. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824182537.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810024831.htm Americans continue to pull away from organized religion, but the rate of departure previously reported may not have been as abrupt as originally thought, according to new research. Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810024831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804210627.htm When you feel you are being touched, usually something is physically touching you and you perceive that your "self" is located in the same place as your body. Neuroscientists have now investigated bodily self-consciousness and the spatial representation of touch stimuli. They found that sensations of touch can be felt and mislocalized towards where a "virtual" body is seen. These findings provide new avenues for the animation of virtual worlds and machines. Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804210627.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728184831.htm Similarities in brain activity during lucid dreaming and psychosis suggest that the previously discredited technique of dream therapy may be useful in psychiatric treatment, according to a European Science Foundation workgroup. People suffering from nightmares can sometimes be treated by training them to dream lucidly so they can consciously wake up. Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728184831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617154401.htm Health and religion have always been intertwined, most obviously through prayer on behalf of the sick. Does intercessory prayer for sick people actually help heal them? For thousands of years some people have believed so. But new research shows that over the last four decades, medical studies of intercessory prayer -- the prayer of strangers at a distance -- actually say more about the scientists conducting the studies than about the power of prayer to heal. Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617154401.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090427131315.htm The results showed that following the meditation period, practitioners of the DY style of meditation showed a dramatic improvement on both the mental rotation task and the visual memory task compared to OP practitioners and controls. These results indicate that DY meditation allows practitioners to access greater levels of visuospatial memory resources, compared to when they are not meditating. Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090427131315.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090420151234.htm Key processes in the brain that control the emotional significance of our experiences and how we form memories of them. A lack of proper brain function in this area is what lies beneath such conditions as schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090420151234.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090317162842.htm In a new study of terminally ill cancer patients, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that those who draw on religion to cope with their illness are more likely to receive intensive, life-prolonging medical care as death approaches -- treatment that often entails a lower quality of life in patients' final days. Mon, 23 Mar 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090317162842.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090313080100.htm Researchers have recently treated many of the large number of Tibetan refugee monks who fled violent religious persecution. These individuals arrived in Boston suffering from symptoms of traumatic stress, interfering with their meditative practice. The monks were diagnosed by their traditional healers as having "srog-rLung," a life-wind imbalance. Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090313080100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090304160400.htm Believing in God can help block anxiety and minimize stress, according to new research that shows distinct brain differences between believers and non-believers. Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090304160400.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223221532.htm Should I spend money on a vacation or a new computer? Will an experience or an object make me happier? A new study says it depends on different factors, including how materialistic you are. Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223221532.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090217125544.htm While science tries to understand the stuff dreams are made of, humans, from cultures all over the world, continue to believe that dreams contain important hidden truths, according to newly published research. Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090217125544.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218161949.htm While the relationship between religion and popular support for suicide attacks is a topic of frequent conjecture, scientific study of the relationship is rare. A new study in Psychological Science has found that the relationship between religion and support suicide attacks is real but is unrelated to devotion to particular religious beliefs or religious belief in general. Instead, collective religious ritual appears to facilitate parochial altruism in general and support for suicide attacks in particular. Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218161949.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090207150518.htm Can money make us happy if we spend it on the right purchases? A new psychology study suggests that buying life experiences rather than material possessions leads to greater happiness for both the consumer and those around them. The study demonstrates that experiential purchases, such as a meal out or theater tickets, result in increased satisfaction and well-being. Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090207150518.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090211111000.htm It matters whether you give your loved one a material gift or an experience for Valentine's Day, say researchers. Sat, 14 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090211111000.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212141158.htm A hallucinogenic compound found in a plant indigenous to South America and used in shamanic rituals regulates a mysterious protein that is abundant throughout the body, researchers have discovered. Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212141158.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090126112311.htm If a vacation starts out bad and gets better, you'll have a more positive memory than if it starts out good and gets worse -- if you're asked about it right afterward. Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090126112311.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090123075632.htm A team philosophers is conducting a three-year research project to explore conscious experiences that contemporary science still cannot explain. Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090123075632.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090113203901.htm High caffeine consumption could be linked to a greater tendency to hallucinate, a new research study suggests. Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090113203901.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090108121631.htm Chronic illness can lead to poorer quality of life -- particularly for adolescents. New research shows that spirituality may help teens cope with their conditions. Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090108121631.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090108082904.htm A new study suggests that spirituality, not religious practices, determine how happy children are. Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090108082904.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090107092720.htm Looking at yourself in the mirror every morning, you never think to question whether the person you see is actually you. A new study challenges this common-sense notion about our own self image. The study shows for the first time that the image we hold of our own face can actually change through shared experiences with other people's faces. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090107092720.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081231005355.htm Psychologists reveal that religion facilitates the exercise of self-control and attainment of long-term goals. A psychology professor has found a strong correlation between religion and self-control, or self-regulation. He explains that religious people may have at their disposal a set of unique resources that makes them better suited to adhering to long term goals. Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081231005355.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215111423.htm The experience of purchasing art shares much in common with viewing it in exhibits, according to a new study. Research shows that visiting a gallery can provide many of the same benefits as buying a painting. Wed, 24 Dec 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215111423.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217124156.htm All spiritual experiences are based in the brain. That statement is truer than ever before, according to a University of Missouri neuropsychologist. A new study has data to support a neuropsychological model that proposes spiritual experiences associated with selflessness are related to decreased activity in the right parietal lobe of the brain. The study is one of the first to use individuals with traumatic brain injury to determine this connection. Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217124156.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215121559.htm A person's unconscious attitudes toward science and God may be fundamentally opposed, researchers report, depending on how religion and science are used to answer 'ultimate' questions such as how the universe began or the origin of life. Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215121559.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081208180427.htm A child's God can be kidnapped and exploited by an adult, often by the very adult who taught the child about God in the first place. Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081208180427.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081204133357.htm New research suggests that relatively recent events had a substantial impact on patterns of genetic diversity in the southwest region of Europe. The study shows that geographical patterns of ancestry appear to have been influenced by religious conversions of both Jews and Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula. Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081204133357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081204133608.htm In times of economic distress and plenty, ninety percent of Americans pray, more than half of us once a day or more. We pray for big things -- to stay healthy, to keep our jobs, and to strengthen our relationships. And we pray for small things -- to find parking spaces and missing items. Some of us are sure God exists and others pray simply to cover the bases. Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081204133608.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081119174230.htm A new study strongly suggests that regular attendance at religious services reduces the risk of death by approximately 20 percent. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081119174230.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117110940.htm That unforgettable honeymoon has a special place in your memory -- so special that you might be reluctant to try to repeat it. A new study says people tend to treat their memories of previous special experiences as assets to be protected. Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117110940.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081109074608.htm For people of strong faith, religious beliefs and related cultural taboos can have a powerful impact on how they care for their health, including the medical treatments they choose to accept. Increasingly, ophthalmologists (Eye M.D.s) in the US and other countries, care for patients of diverse backgrounds. This is accelerating the need for reliable information on the interaction of religious beliefs and compliance with prescribed treatments. Sun, 09 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081109074608.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081031161623.htm Does your personality influence who you vote for? The short answer is yes, according to one professor of psychology. As Americans go to the polls in record numbers to vote for the next U.S. president, some voters will crave social stability and others will crave social change. Liberals and conservatives divide according to these personality preferences. Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081031161623.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081027155909.htm Hoping to answer the question of which political party has a monopoly on the "best" values and how religion affects these values, researchers compared the "extrinsic" values (financial success, status, appearance) with "intrinsic" values (growth, intimacy, helping) of self-declared Democrats and Republicans in four different samples. Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081027155909.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081023120228.htm Researchers have found that the different ways people worship a higher power can offer some insight into their risk for depression. Sun, 26 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081023120228.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081022135803.htm Hypnosis can induce synaesthetic experiences -- where one sense triggers the involuntary use of another according to a new study in Psychological Science. Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081022135803.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081022135421.htm A new study reveals how the brain can connect discrete but overlapping experiences to provide a rich integrated history that extends far beyond individually experienced events and may help to direct future choices. Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081022135421.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081014111204.htm Clubbers -- people who dance the night away in dance clubs -- are seeking communal, ecstatic experiences. And, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, modern clubbers get a more controlled, legalized version of the raves of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081014111204.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081010175311.htm While many congregations of different faiths preach against drug abuse, it has been unclear whether a youth's religious involvement has any effect on his risk of drug abuse. Now a new national study finds that religious involvement makes teens half as likely to use marijuana. Sun, 12 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081010175311.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081007172902.htm Data from a new study suggests that individuals who engage in compassion meditation may benefit by reductions in inflammatory and behavioral responses to stress that have been linked to depression and a number of medical illnesses. Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081007172902.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002172013.htm Belief in God encourages people to be helpful, honest and generous, but only under certain psychological conditions, according to researchers who analyzed the past three decades of social science research. Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002172013.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924124549.htm Political conservatives operate out of a fear of chaos and absence of order while political liberals operate out of a fear of emptiness, a new study finds. Social scientists long have assumed that liberals are more rational and less fearful than conservatives, but new research finds that both groups view the world as "a dangerous place." To better understand the differences, researchers asked 128 socially active churchgoers: what if there were no God? Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924124549.htm