Religious Fundamentalism causes brain damage LOL

Damage To Specific Site In The Brain May Be Linked To Religious Fundamentalism

Im not even sure if this is real honestly... sounds about right though

But lets say it actually is true... Told ya?

lol

Psychologists have always been fascinated as to why some people believe in a higher being, while others are happy to accept that we are alone in life. Now researchers claim they have found a region of the brain that, when damaged, may increase the likelihood that a person will hold fundamental religious beliefs. In particular, they found that damage to this region reduced cognitive flexibility – the ability to challenge one’s preexisting beliefs when presented with new evidence.

The research builds on previous work that has found a neurological underpinning for religion, particularly in the prefrontal cortex. The study, published in the journal Neuropsychologia, utilized a data set that was initially started to study Vietnam War veterans who had experienced trauma. Using this registry, the team compared soldiers who had received penetrating brain injury with veterans who had not.

They looked at 119 combat veterans with brain damage to their dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. They found that among those studied, the veterans with damage to this region of the brain, which has been linked to planning and problem solving, were less open to new ideas. This may help explain why they were more likely to be fundamental in their religious beliefs.

For the study, they gave the participants tests to see how cognitively flexible they were and placed them on a standardized measure to assess their level of religious fundamentalism. They then took CT scans to measure the size and location of the brain lesions in the veterans. It turned out that those who had received trauma to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a region found at the front of the brain, were more likely to hold fundamental beliefs and were less likely to be cognitively flexible.

“These findings indicate that cognitive flexibility and openness are necessary for flexible and adaptive religious commitment, and that such diversity of religious thought is dependent on [dorsolateral prefrontal cortex] functionality,” write the authors.

Previous experiments have found that this part of the brain is involved in working memory, in which you hold in mind multiple pieces of information you have just learned. It has also been shown to be key to cognitive flexibility. This latest study, the researchers suggests, shows that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex may also be crucial in helping us remain open about new ideas that may challenge deeply held beliefs.

This does not mean that forming a religious belief is down to some form of brain damage, or that trauma to the head will therefore lead to fundamentalism. The researchers simply state that damage to this particular part of the brain may make it more difficult for a person to assess their own deep-seated beliefs when presented with new evidence.

www.iflscience.com...

a reply to: Akragon

No, it's a misrepresentation of the findings.

I was wondering how long it would take for this to show up.

They basically discovered that a certain type of brain damage in Vietnam Vets made them less open to new and different religious beliefs.

pjmedia.com...

Grafman and his team surveyed 149 Vietnam vets, 119 of whom had suffered penetrating traumatic brain injuries (pTBIs) and 30 of whom had no history of brain injury. They reported their results in the journal Neuropsychologia. Previous research had identified the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) as critical to representing religious beliefs, so the researcher hypothesized that damage to the vmPFC would be associated with a narrowing of religious beliefs.

"If the vmPFC is crucial to modulating diverse personal religious beliefs, we predicted that pTBI patients with lesions to the vmPFC would exhibit greater fundamentalism, and that this would be modulated by cognitive flexibility and trait openness," the researchers explained.

But their results actually contradicted this hypothesis. Instead, Grafman and his team discovered that veterans with damage to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) had similar belief patterns to those with vmPFC lesions. The researchers also found that veterans with less openness to other beliefs did not necessarily have damaged dlPFCs — some merely had decreased cognitive flexibility and openness.

So while they hypothesized it would make them religious fundies, their results actually contradicted that.

There is definitely something wrong with a belief system that only feels real when you get other people to accept what you are saying is true.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
There is definitely something wrong with a belief system that only feels real when you get other people to accept what you are saying is true.

Like modern Social Justice Ideology?

a reply to: Akragon

Well perhaps, then, damage to more of the brain explains atheism?

There is, at least, a statistical correlation (a small percent of the population have severe brain damage, ditto for atheists).

a reply to: Akragon

Ill put forward the hypothesis that sjws suffer the same exact brain issue.

Serious fundamentalism is fundamentalism no matter the list of ideals. The ideals arent really whats important to a fundamentalist, its the blind obedience and lack of mental elasticity that is the core of fundamentalist behavior, and it is this that is both addictive and coercive. The ideal set is immaterial aside from determining to which group one belongs.

a reply to: pirhanna

And honestly, with any brand of fundamentalism, so long as no one is hurt, what does it matter?

Funny I am inclined to think that the op is a very religious fundamentalist

Even the "I told you" comment smacks of righteous indignation LOL
🐨

originally posted by: chr0naut
a reply to: Akragon

Well perhaps, then, damage to more of the brain explains atheism?

There is, at least, a statistical correlation (a small percent of the population have severe brain damage, ditto for atheists).

Very well researched theory there.

You know a small percentage of the population have two different colored eyes too. Does that mean they are atheists???

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: pirhanna

And honestly, with any brand of fundamentalism, so long as no one is hurt, what does it matter?

Totally agree.

But what happens when people are hurt though???

well, my first thought was that it doesn`t seem the least bit unusual that people who suffered a penetrating traumatic brain injury in combat and survived would turn to religion.
it probably has little to do with trauma to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and a lot to do with believing that it was a miracle that you survived being shot in the head in combat and survived.

Your title is backwards.

Brain damage to a particular area can cause a person to be less likely to change deep rooted beliefs upon challanging information,

That being said, I am aware of other studies that link religion to specific neaurlogical makeup/activity, and believe that it is a key find in showing why such a large populous hold such beliefs.

I would like to see some key members here whom I've had long discussions with, regarding religion have a CT scan. Not because I think they're crazy or anything, but looking at the comparisons between those individuals with other members whom seem to side with secular positions would be very interesting

a reply to: mOjOm

I have a brother who has heterochromia. He's a goddamn animal. 6'6", drives a harley, covered in tatoos. But not an atheist.

originally posted by: Raggedyman
Funny I am inclined to think that the op is a very religious fundamentalist

Even the "I told you" comment smacks of righteous indignation LOL
🐨

And for the 50th time... don't use words you don't understand

originally posted by: Ghost147
Your title is backwards.

Brain damage to a particular area can cause a person to be less likely to change deep rooted beliefs upon challenging information,

i am inclined to think the initial brain damage can be caused by religious fundamentalism or any other kinds of abuse, physical or psychological trauma. I wonder what you consider the cause of the initial brain damage that leads to fundamentalism is Ghost

originally posted by: Akragon

originally posted by: Raggedyman
Funny I am inclined to think that the op is a very religious fundamentalist

Even the "I told you" comment smacks of righteous indignation LOL
🐨

And for the 50th time... don't use words you don't understand

Oh Ak, its ok, I just like to show the fundie in you to others

originally posted by: Akragon
Religious Fundamentalism causes brain damage LOL

I've shown how 'beliefs' are insanity for years;
"Among a plethora of other pathological symptoms, a belief infection also inhibits cognitive and intellectual ability leading into insanity!"

Claiming 'causality' is just bad and dishonest science.

'Fundamentalist'; One lacking the ability to see beyond the surface/superficial, and crawling with 'belief' infections regarding the absolute be all end all Reality/Truth of that superficial perception.
Insane.

originally posted by: Raggedyman

originally posted by: Akragon

originally posted by: Raggedyman
Funny I am inclined to think that the op is a very religious fundamentalist

Even the "I told you" comment smacks of righteous indignation LOL
🐨

And for the 50th time... don't use words you don't understand

Oh Ak, its ok, I just like to show the fundie in you to others

Only thing you show is the fact that you don't understand the words you try to use...

Always amusing though

originally posted by: mOjOm

originally posted by: chr0naut
a reply to: Akragon

Well perhaps, then, damage to more of the brain explains atheism?

There is, at least, a statistical correlation (a small percent of the population have severe brain damage, ditto for atheists).

Very well researched theory there.

You know a small percentage of the population have two different colored eyes too. Does that mean they are atheists???

Well, the correlation is there. Hard to argue hard objective evidence.

Religion aside, it certainly would lend some explanation to why some people are ridiculously hard-headed even in the midst of proof contrary to their beliefs. Their brains possibly literally can't comprehend reconciling it.

originally posted by: Raggedyman
Funny I am inclined to think that the op is a very religious fundamentalist

Even the "I told you" comment smacks of righteous indignation LOL
🐨

I don't think you understand the word you're using here. The OP's comment doesn't strike me as particularly negative or angry, where are you detecting indignation from? o.O

indignation
noun
mass noun

Anger or annoyance provoked by what is perceived as unfair treatment.

en.oxforddictionaries.com...