Spirituality Spot Found in Brain

Spirituality Spot Found in Brain

news.yahoo.com

What makes us feel spiritual? It could be the quieting of a small area in our brains, a new study suggests.

The area in question - the right parietal lobe - is responsible for defining "Me," said researcher Brick Johnstone of Missouri University. It generates self-criticism, he said, and guides us through physical and social terrains by constantly updating our self-knowledge: my hand, my cocktail, my witty conversation skills, my new love interest ...

People with less active Me-Definers are more likely to lead spiritual lives, reports the study in the current issue of the journal Zygon.

(visit the link for the full news article)

As we learn more about the brain, we discover that much of what seems intangible, and indeed, spiritual is actually defined by our neurophysiology.

We are defined by our hormonal make up, our physiology and the structure of our neurons.

Also of note is that the basis of spiritual writings may have a basis in how the individual creating these texts may be influenced by their basic biological construction.

This study also mentions other things which define and quite the center of 'Me', among them 'losing one's self' in a beautiful work of art or a song, or by doing charitable work.

Maybe one day we will actually be able to completely define and understand human neurophysiology as the basis for human nature and behavior.


news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 12/24/2008 by Badge01]

Wow, the "spiritual" part of the brain is the same part that is "me-defining"?

This is why rejecting your own ego, your own self-created "sense of self" is important in all spiritual practices.

To paraphrase a Zen koan, how can you learn when your "cup" is already full? You have to realize how much like everyone else you really are, and then you can realize marvelous things. The more selfish you are, the more oblivious you are to your surroundings and the less you take in. Make sense?

Well, if it doesn't, this is the science that proves it, apparently.

I am curious as to the activity of this part of the brain in the Japanese... With a stronger community/country focus as opposed to "self", I would be curious to see how much difference exists with, say, Americans. Also, I wonder, if this leads to their culture having a stronger philosophical/religious undertone compared to the West.

"a quieting of the brain". So there's a voice out there that can't be heard when you're selfish, but when you're spiritual the brain quiets down and you can hear it?? I'm amazed at how well this observation fits into the religous spectrum....we've been saying stuff like this for years! I did notice a couple of "could's" and "mights'" in the article tho, but I still think it's interesting. You're right blackraven, I bet the Japs brains go dead silent or soemthing when they get spiritual.

It is common knowledge that the people who meditate deeply for long periods of time get a blissful euphoric sensation which stems from the brain. This sac can also be pumped up by alternate means as well.

Runners are also known to experienced the same sensation when they push themselves past the limits of a certain point in which most give up.

After a while though, the need for the sac to be inflated larger and larger happens and eventually it becomes over stretched and can have adverse effects.

This is what happens when someone does euphoria enhancing drugs, it eventually leads them to larger quantities.

I cant think of what the name of the sac is right now but it rests at the base of the skull where the spine meets the brain stem. If I heard it I would remember, lol.

This could be part of the reason why people tend to depict enlightened individuals and higher spiritually evolved ones as seeming serious. It happens after you move through the depths of higher spiritual realms. Not that they become serious, just not all smiles and euphoric. It is like when you first fall in love and the passion is like a burning fire, then as time goes on and the relationship changes and matures, it then is more like the steady burning embers. each has their own beauty and intensity, just different ends of the spectrum.

Originally posted by thomasblackraven
I am curious as to the activity of this part of the brain in the Japanese... With a stronger community/country focus as opposed to "self", I would be curious to see how much difference exists with, say, Americans. Also, I wonder, if this leads to their culture having a stronger philosophical/religious undertone compared to the West.

Interesting how many times you unconsciously use the I word... It is hard to write sometimes without using I or me. Especially if it is personal experience, however in identifying to the other we often become a mirror, and what we percieve in others thoughts words and actions, when used in the subject defined by the Op, it is difficult to seperate onesself from the other.

Originally posted by antar
Interesting how many times you unconsciously use the I word...

A grad school friend once pointed this out... He had spent time in Japan and, if I remember correctly, had said that their language didn't have a specific word for "I". One would refer to status or title (family position, work, etc) instead. When he came back he recognized our reliance on such a concept in our own language.

Artificial intelligence researcher and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Douglas Hofstadter has offered in a recent book that "I" is nothing more than a self-referencing and self-comparing program in our brains, that we learn at a very early age in the West, and it prevents us from having a full experience of what it means to be a human being in the most archetypal sense.

Certain social or cultural habits emphasize this separateness, this "I"-ness more than others, and we tend to begin to see ourselves as islands, differentiated from everything else, when in reality we are just a natural product and extension of our planet. Competitiveness, material greed, etc., (selfishness) are all symptoms of an imbalanced perception that will eventually lead to "external" imbalance and destruction.

When separateness isn't emphasized, the difference between a being and its environment becomes blurred, and the being will naturally begin to think and act as a harmonious extension of its environment / world / universe, to "become one" with it. And simultaneously, the sense of "I" becomes the environment / world / universe, instead of our imprisoning egos and quirky personalities, and things start getting interesting.

Unfortunately talking about this stuff is a huge pain in my neck and becoming increasingly difficult and not worth the effort. There are others that can put it more succinctly, but what I really want to convey is that constantly casting off and reinventing your sense of identity is well worth the effort and is a very enriching experience. Read the OP's article; it makes you spiritual!

Good post. Also your avs hot

Star for ya.

Originally posted by Badge01

What makes us feel spiritual? It could be the quieting of a small area in our brains, a new study suggests.

The area in question - the right parietal lobe -

People with less active Me-Definers are more likely to lead spiritual lives, reports the study in the current issue of the journal Zygon.

(visit the link for the full news article)

so... to become closer to one's god, one must actively deny the 'self',
and with the aid of repitious behavior modification...the exercise of that part of the brain diminishes probably resulting in atrophy from non-use.

The end result is not so dis-similar from other external body modifications
such as unshaven faces including one's temples, or circumcision which is rooted in religious custom as outward signs of one's faith.


but, what really needs addressed is the adage
that ['we' are greater than the sum-of-the-parts...]
if you consider the 'Me' part of the brain as just one of the parts,
then becoming spiritually oriented, (focused on a make believe reality)
is actually a detriment to a fullly actualized life because one has to
atrophy or else circumcise a part of one's brain to flourish in that reality.

becoming spiritual/religious is not the actualization of "becoming greater than the sum-of-our-parts"...becoming spiritual in the religious sense is choosing to abstain from the full spectrum of life and experiences.

*There sure must be a Political center of the brain, which is still undiscovered...

If your are "truly" seeking spirituality just use your pineal gland to squeeze some dmt into your bloodstream, no need for self denying!

that's an interesting article. thanks for posting it.

so now i know a bit more about what makes me tick .... how do you turn this "right parietal lobe" off!???

Originally posted by antar
It is common knowledge that the people who meditate deeply for long periods of time get a blissful euphoric sensation which stems from the brain. This sac can also be pumped up by alternate means as well.

Runners are also known to experienced the same sensation when they push themselves past the limits of a certain point in which most give up.

After a while though, the need for the sac to be inflated larger and larger happens and eventually it becomes over stretched and can have adverse effects.

This is what happens when someone does euphoria enhancing drugs, it eventually leads them to larger quantities.

I cant think of what the name of the sac is right now but it rests at the base of the skull where the spine meets the brain stem. If I heard it I would remember, lol.

This could be part of the reason why people tend to depict enlightened individuals and higher spiritually evolved ones as seeming serious. It happens after you move through the depths of higher spiritual realms. Not that they become serious, just not all smiles and euphoric. It is like when you first fall in love and the passion is like a burning fire, then as time goes on and the relationship changes and matures, it then is more like the steady burning embers. each has their own beauty and intensity, just different ends of the spectrum.

I think you're referring to the pineal gland...I think.

Originally posted by St Udio

but, what really needs addressed is the adage
that ['we' are greater than the sum-of-the-parts...]
if you consider the 'Me' part of the brain as just one of the parts,
then becoming spiritually oriented, (focused on a make believe reality)
is actually a detriment to a fullly actualized life because one has to
atrophy or else circumcise a part of one's brain to flourish in that reality.

becoming spiritual/religious is not the actualization of "becoming greater than the sum-of-our-parts"...becoming spiritual in the religious sense is choosing to abstain from the full spectrum of life and experiences.

The article says that part of the brain is "quieted"--quite a different word than atrophy or circumcise. To me, "quieted" is what happens when you meditate, or pray, whatever your belief system calls it. I don't lose my ego, it's just the constant inner monologue of "I, I, I" that is shushed--not killed, but shushed. Most religious leaders of almost all world religions tell you you your ego stays until you're at the very highest level of spiritual development, one that most of us don't ever come close to reaching.

I don't see constantly being subjected to thoughts of myself as the "full spectrum of life and experiences." On the contrary, I find it disturbs my sense of real balance and tends to preclude any experience of "oneness" with others or the universe. Pure egotism is a very limited and limiting experience of the world.

I know a lot of political people believe spirituality is dangerous to one's political activism because it blunts one's self-interest, often a motivator of political behavior. But a greater sense of harmony and oneness with others is also a powerful motivator of positive action.

I notice I've used the word "I" many times here in trying to relate personal experience to others. Proof that quieting the "I center" does not erase one's ego, just puts it on hold so the awareness of the rest of mankind and one's place in the universe can emerge in the silence.

By the way, I'm not an adherent of any particular religion and am sceptical of many. I, too, consider myself a politically aware and active individual. That is only enhanced by my experience of putting the "I" on hold (not destroying it, just listening to other sounds in the universe).

[edit on 25-12-2008 by Sestias]

reply to post by Graphix10


Doubt it's the Pineal gland, more likely the Pituitary or the Hypothalamus.

Pineal gland

The pineal gland (also called the pineal body, epiphysis cerebri, or epiphysis) is a small endocrine gland in the vertebrate brain. It produces melatonin, a hormone that affects the modulation of wake/sleep patterns and photoperiodic (seasonal) functions.[1][2] It is shaped like a tiny pine cone (hence its name), and is located near to the centre of the brain, between the two hemispheres, tucked in a groove where the two rounded thalamic bodies join.

Pituitary gland

The pituitary hormones help control some of the following body processes:
* Growth
* Blood pressure
* Some aspects of pregnancy and childbirth including stimulation of uterine contractions during childbirth
* Breast milk production
* Sex organ functions in both women and men
* Thyroid gland function
* The conversion of food into energy (metabolism)
* Water and osmolarity regulation in the body

Hypothalamus gland

The hypothalamus is responsible for certain metabolic processes and other activities of the Autonomic Nervous System. It synthesizes and secretes neurohormones, often called hypothalamic-releasing hormones, and these in turn stimulate or inhibit the secretion of pituitary hormones. The hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, [1] fatigue, anger, and circadian cycles.

Since the main hormones that are believe to be responsible for the 'runner's high' are endorphins, which are governed by the Hypothalamus, that is probably the one to which Antar is referring.

But the article is referring to an additional phenomenon, and that is a quieting of a process governed by the Parietal lobe.

(the area in yellow)

Parietal Lobe

The parietal lobe plays important roles in integrating sensory information from various parts of the body, knowledge of numbers and their relations[1], and in the manipulation of objects. Portions of the parietal lobe are involved with visuospatial processing. Although multisensory in nature, the posterior parietal cortex is often referred to by vision scientists as the dorsal stream of vision (as opposed to the ventral stream in the temporal lobe). This dorsal stream has been called both the 'where' stream (as in spatial vision)[2] and the 'how' stream (as in vision for action)[3].

Brain physiology and function is a complex science and is still not fully understood. Right now, scientists are trying to break down the separate functions and don't really understand how the parts work together, or synergize. But with devices like PET scanners, we can now stimulate various things and get a better idea from the blood flow of the various interactions.