Spirituality and the Brain

[Rhizomorph13]

Spirituality is probably just all in your head, check this story out:

http://www.livescience.com/health/spirit...00211.html

Scientists have identified areas of the brain that, when damaged, lead to greater spirituality. The findings hint at the roots of spiritual and religious attitudes, the researchers say.

While looking up the effects of schizophrenia, among other mental disorders I found fascinating, there were a lot of indications that schizophrenics have a tendency to cling to spirituality and religion. I wouldn't go so far to say that theism = mental disorder but spirituality seems to be a mental disorder.

The study, published in the Feb. 11 issue of the journal Neuron, involves a personality trait called self-transcendence, which is a somewhat vague measure of spiritual feeling, thinking, and behaviors. Self-transcendence "reflects a decreased sense of self and an ability to identify one's self as an integral part of the universe as a whole," the researchers explain.

"Self-transcendence" seems like a bad thing to me; and to think that the trancendental meditation movement was aimed at increasing these feelings. "The Secret" is aimed at the same noodly goal, disconnecting one's self from true causality and expecting the "universe" to respond to the vague concept of positive or negative energy.

Narf,
Rhizo