Preadolescent religious experience enhances temporal lobe signs in normal young adults.
Perceptual and Motor Skills April 1, 1991 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1991.72.2.453 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 868 |
| Population | Male and female university students in psychology |
| Key findings | Individuals who reported a preadolescent religious experience displayed more frequent temporal lobe signs in adulthood, including depersonalization, belief in psi, and sensations of presence. |
Abstract
The hypothesis was verified that an ontogenetically earlier onset of temporal lobe transients, as defined by a preadolescent religious experience, facilitates more frequent and varied temporal lobe signs in adults. Data were collected for 868 male and female university students in psychology over a 10-year period; the 19% of students who reported this early experience displayed more frequent depersonalization, beliefs in psi phenomena, sensations of presence, sensitivity to odors, widened affect, childhood imaginary playmates, and left (writing) handedness. Early experiments were more likely to display confusion of boundaries between themselves, other people, and cosmic forces.