The neurophysiological correlates of religious chanting.
Junling Gao, Hang Kin Leung, Bonnie Wai Yan Wu, Stavros Skouras, Hin Hung Sik
Scientific Reports March 12, 2019 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40200-w (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Religious chanting |
| Key findings | Religious chanting decreases eigenvector centrality in the posterior cingulate cortex, likely due to endogenous delta oscillations, and these effects are distinct from those of meditation and prayer. |
Abstract
Despite extensive research on various types of meditation, research on the neural correlates of religious chanting is in a nascent stage. Using multi-modal electrophysiological and neuroimaging methods, we illustrate that during religious chanting, the posterior cingulate cortex shows the largest decrease in eigenvector centrality, potentially due to regional endogenous generation of delta oscillations. Our data show that these functional effects are not due to peripheral cardiac or respiratory activity, nor due to implicit language processing. Finally, we suggest that the neurophysiological correlates of religious chanting are likely different from those of meditation and prayer, and would possibly induce distinctive psychotherapeutic effects.
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- Spectral Analysis of Vishnu Sahasranama: Effects on Stress Levels and Memory Improvement Science Discovery June 27, 2026
- A Breath of Hope: A Modified Tonglen Meditation for Practitioners Mindfulness June 20, 2026
- Neural Pattern of Chanting-Driven Intuitive Inquiry Meditation in Expert Chan Practitioners. Behavioral Sciences September 5, 2025
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