Study suggests 'born-again' believers have smaller brains

Hahaha that is funny actually, thats why I am no longer a Christian, cause the religion is based on stupidity and dont ask questions, just shut up and listen to the Preacher or else...... No one has a clue whats going on therefore no one even thinks, just enjoy the service and go home.

Well thats not how it works for the true followers of The Way,Truth and the Life. We ask questions, demand answers and not afraid to stand up for our belief and if you dont like it, we cut ya off (leave you be and move on) and do our thing. Its the real way the Messiah Yahuwshuwah(Not Jesus) did it. If you didnt follow Him, he moved on and didnt bother with you. Those who know Him will follow him and hear his call.

reply to post by TheMessenger1


So you have an IQ of 163 and are the highest in your class in biochemistry and you dont realize they have to be talking "on average," and that individual people can certainly be outside that average and the study can still be completely valid?

Your individual scores, intelligence, etc., have absolutely no bearing on the validity of that study. Much like my height and weight have nothing really to do with the fact that the average for my gender is nearly 6 inches shorter and 20 lbs lighter than I.

Its a shame really, that everyone in college does not have to take a statistics course, since statistics are used so frequently in our culture.

Originally posted by TheMessenger1
reply to post by mkkkay

 

The same thing can be said about atheists who are intolerable to religion without taking in both sides.

I'm a born again believer, and amongst the highest in my class at college in my field of study in biochemistry with an IQ of 163 the last time I checked.

The study you shown is very bias by any standards and rather harsh.

My I.Q. is at a brisk 151.

Even with my hippo camp entropy.

Oh wait, my I.Q. test was administered in H.S. before I was born-again.

Eeeeegadzoooooks! It's prolly around 50-60ish right now.

Does anyone know when this raging depression is gonna start setting in?

Sorry, I'm kinda freaked out right now.

reply to post by OptimusSubprime


Smaller overall brain mass does not mean the same thing as smaller hippocampus, which has important functions affecting the way we think.

So many raw nerves here..

reply to post by NOTurTypical


Why do we have to believe that a smaller brain is less efficient than a bigger brain.
Neandertale hade a bigger brain.. maybe evolution brings things down to size.

I am pretty sure i read in this thread that Einstein had an unusualy small brain..

Originally posted by mkkkay
reply to post by NOTurTypical

 

Why do we have to believe that a smaller brain is less efficient than a bigger brain.
Neandertale hade a bigger brain.. maybe evolution brings things down to size.

I am pretty sure i read in this thread that Einstein had an unusualy small brain..

I appreciate your attempt to put a positive spin on this devastating tidbit of information.

Doesn't change the fact we are basically retarded now.

Well, to start with the original article is nearly unintelligable with its LOOSE unscientific use of terms

I went looking for the original article by searching Amy Owen and found this ...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/ab761ba5386c.jpg[/atsimg]

But then I found the Amy Owen at Duke ...
www.spiritualityandhealth.duke.edu...

Soo they keep talking about the Hippocampus part of the brain, well, lets see what it really is ...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1d0857653cfd.gif[/atsimg]
Ohhhh, NOW LOOK AT THAT, it is just this LITTLE TINY PART OF THE BRAIN !!!

You know what, if mine is SHRUNK I could care less, that thing is soo tiny to start with I don't think I would ever notice and ISN'T THAT PART OF THE REPTILIAN BRAIN it might be GOOD IF IT SHRINKS !!!

It just goes to show you how many of these articles are no better then gossip and a bunch of non-sense !

This thread is fun to watch
I wanted to stay out of this one. But the evidence is piling up. Im not sure what exactly its means.
But i highly doubt its god making there brains smaller to send out vibes?
THis peice of news reminds me of this

Evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa at the the London School of Economics and Political Science correlated data on these behaviors with IQ from a large national U.S. sample and found that, on average, people who identified as liberal and atheist had higher IQs.

Participants who said they were atheists had an average IQ of 103 in adolescence, while adults who said they were religious averaged 97, the study found. Atheism "allows someone to move forward and speculate on life without any concern for the dogmatic structure of a religion," Bailey said

www.cnn.com...

reply to post by mkkkay


For some reason the title of this post made me laugh extremely hard.

Originally posted by mkkkay
This is one that will get some of us mad, could this be true or some kind of new propoganda
to get to some..

The study, which examined the hippocampus region of the brain, found that Protestants who did not have a "born again" experience had significantly more gray matter than either those who reported a life-changing religious experience, Catholics, or unaffiliated older adults.

The hippocampus is an area buried deep in the brain that helps regulate emotion and memory. Atrophy or shrinkage in this region of the brain has long been linked to mental health problems such as depression, dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

So why would born-again Protestants, Catholics and those with no religious affiliation have a smaller hippocampus?

Researchers speculate it may have something to do with the stress of belonging to a minority group. Chronic stress floods the brain with hormones that, over time, may damage the hippocampus.

So this is new for me what do you guys think

Sorry forgot the linkwww.usatoday.com...

edit on 25-5-2011 by mkkkay because: link

I am confused. Is it the size of the hippocampus that is relevant or is it the utilization of the hippocampus that is relevant?

Or should I ask Is there any one human born that is greater than another human that is born? And is it the hippocampus that differentiates this?

reply to post by mkkkay


Nazi propaganda. Anything in MSM or corporate rags is propaganda. Who is going to know any different. Most accept their lies and move on. Divide and Conquear is the name of the game.

This will make non Christians argue with Christians about some article written by some group who has an agenda. Dont fall for this garbage.

hahahahah now this is funny........then again it might be true, but nevertheless it is still very funny......

Originally posted by Sherlock Holmes
It's amazing how many people will leap into a thread, with their bigotry and prejudice to the fore, without availing themselves with the relevant facts.

The study is attempting to ascertain any meaningful correlation between religious beliefs and shrinkage of the hippocampus in older people.

The study found that Born Again Christians, Catholics, other denominations and non-religious people all had more shrinkage than Protestants.

The study was conducted amongst 284 people aged 58-years and older, and was primarily intended to examine the link between hippocampus shrinkage and depression.

They hypothesise that the results may be linked to greater stress in holding a minority view, with Protestants forming the majority of the US population.

You do know that "born again Christians" are protestants don't you?

Maybe you do not.

I believe that any study done by a institute of "higher learning" is always flawed and usually biased.

What did they actually do,ask those who were having their heads examined what their religious beliefs were?

Why is a certain religion and belief attacked mercilessly?

I studied a young girl,now a young woman, born and raised in a atheist household without television or radio or even newspapers and magazines,nonchalantly telling her mother at the age of four that Jesus was real.

How did she know this?

reply to post by IamJustanAmerican

How did she know this?

Acute depression and shrunken hippocampus??




I'M LEARNING AGAIN!!!

Originally posted by emberscott
I am confused. Is it the size of the hippocampus that is relevant or is it the utilization of the hippocampus that is relevant?

Or should I ask Is there any one human born that is greater than another human that is born? And is it the hippocampus that differentiates this?

OK, I will explain more on this even though my original post covered it ALL !
www.abovetopsecret.com...

They use the term Born Again Christian, in the original article they explain what this means, it means you have a STRONG religious experience when you go to church, EVERYBODY that had this had a small Hippo-campus. Now later in the article a reviewing scientist comments on this but uses it differently calls it basically Evangelical Christians which are usually NEW Christian's and new growing churches and one of the BIGGEST Christian groups AND Catholics which is NOT exactly a small group so -- go figure.

So this is ALL clearly VERY flaky science, this would NEVER be published in the HARD science journals, only Psychologists can get away with this stuff.

Its also almost certainly WRONG as they are REALLY suggesting that Christians tend to be METALLY ILL but this MAKES NO SENSE as I am sure I have seen simular science articles claiming Christians have LESS METAL ILNESS and LESS GO TO PRISON, thus, this study simply does not at all match up with older studies.

But this IS the way it is in science the study group is NOT all that big considering the veigness of the conclusions that they are attempting to reach, but it IS ongoing, definitely NOT FINISHED.

YOU REALLY HAVE TO WONDER ABOUT SO CALLED JOURNALISTS WHO PUBLISH CONCLUSIONS BASED ON STUDIES THAT ARE UNFINISHED, INCOMPLETE !!!

There is a very good chance one day ALL invovled will say THAT STUDY WAS NO GOOD, BUT WE DID LEARN THIS and it will be something else NOT religion but that ONE THING they actually were testing but did no know about until they worked on it long enough to really understand the data !!!

May I suggest in a short reply a rather complex range of neurological functions. In another thread about flouride in water I quoted a work that suggested that a build up of flouride in the body leads to the calcification of the pineal gland which produces the hormone melatonine. In part this is stimulated by the hippothalmus' reaction to light. The hippocampus also interacts with the hipothalmus and both react with the neo-cortex which plays a large part in spatial awareness. I do not feel that the religious have a very well developed spatial awarenes and in so curtailing in parts of this, as I am venturing in this short example here, would it lead to a lessening of certain synaptic functions. Which in theory could lead to the readings found in the study.
I do not feel I am playing too fast and loose with the idea that people with such a restricted view of the Earth, education or the size of the universe and our position in it could have spatial problems.

Originally posted by TheOneElectric
I can tell you why, without any scientific backing:

It's the issue of faith. Certain areas of the brain are grown and cultivated by asking "why." Why why why why?

It's the single worded question (at least in English) that has grown the brain of Human beings (along with red meat). Contemplating our existence, our place in the world, and the great beyond we are able to witness at night helps are brains to grow at a healthy and normal pace. Faith, in large unequal quantities, does quite the opposite. The faith driven shove the questions into a corner of their consciousness, disallowing the conscious mind to be racked by questions and inquiries that assist in essential problem solving areas of the brain.

Looks like mindful meditation, which helps deal with the daily questions and the great beyond, should be introduced into these people's spiritual diet. Meditation helps grow some essential grey matter in the brain, and could possibly help strengthen neural connections.

I guess the old people had it right when they said: "Think for yourself"

I agree with the whole of your post. In fact it's hard to present a logical argument against it. Ergo, the only arguments you will probably get will be completely illogical.

IRM

The very title of this study is misleading, its a particular region of the brain not the whole brain size, for one that had the difference in size, and for those who are saying, "duh, of course believers have smaller brains because they are so unintelligent they actually believe in a God", did you realize EVERYONE in this study IS a believer, they are only separated into "born-again" and "non-born-again" Protestants.
By the way, the journal that is supposedly published and peer reviewed by PLoS one, um ehem, is NOT in PLoS one, it is no where to be found. Hmmmmmm

Peace,
Marriah

Originally posted by NOTurTypical

Originally posted by TheMessenger1
reply to post by mkkkay

 

The same thing can be said about atheists who are intolerable to religion without taking in both sides.

I'm a born again believer, and amongst the highest in my class at college in my field of study in biochemistry with an IQ of 163 the last time I checked.

The study you shown is very bias by any standards and rather harsh.

My I.Q. is at a brisk 151.

Even with my hippo camp entropy.

Oh wait, my I.Q. test was administered in H.S. before I was born-again.

Eeeeegadzoooooks! It's prolly around 50-60ish right now.

I had to laugh out loud
Peace,
Marriah