Brain mechanisms in religion and spirituality: An integrative predictive processing framework.
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews December 29, 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.12.031 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Brain Humans Spirituality Religion Multisensory integration Prayer Predictive processing Supernatural beliefs Spiritual experiences Temporal lobes Paranormal beliefs Religious experiences Mystical experiences Believers vs. skeptics Dual systems accounts |
| Key points | Argues that predictive processing offers a unifying neurocognitive framework for religion and spirituality, linking temporal, multisensory, default mode, Theory of Mind, and prefrontal/cingulate mechanisms to religious visions, self-transcendence, prayer, and supernatural beliefs, with prediction error monitoring as central relative to two-systems accounts. |
Abstract
We present the theory of predictive processing as a unifying framework to account for the neurocognitive basis of religion and spirituality. Our model is substantiated by discussing four different brain mechanisms that play a key role in religion and spirituality: temporal brain areas are associated with religious visions and ecstatic experiences; multisensory brain areas and the default mode network are involved in self-transcendent experiences; the Theory of Mind-network is associated with prayer experiences and over attribution of intentionality; top-down mechanisms instantiated in the anterior cingulate cortex and the medial prefrontal cortex could be involved in acquiring and maintaining intuitive supernatural beliefs. We compare the predictive processing model with two-systems accounts of religion and spirituality, by highlighting the central role of prediction error monitoring. We conclude by presenting novel predictions for future research and by discussing the philosophical and theological implications of neuroscientific research on religion and spirituality.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default mode network in cognition: a topographical perspective | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default mode network: where the idiosyncratic self meets the shared social world | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default-mode, ego-functions and free-energy: a neurobiological account of Freudian ideas | 2010 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Cooperation between the default mode network and the frontal–parietal network in the production of an internal train of thought | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 37
- Absorption and spiritual experience: A review of evidence and potential mechanisms. Consciousness and Cognition August 1, 2019
- The role of alcohol in expectancy-driven mystical experiences: a pre-registered field study using placebo brain stimulation Religion, Brain & Behavior December 22, 2017
- Spirituality as a Therapeutic Approach for Severe Mental Illness: Insights from Neural Networks Religions April 16, 2024
- Placebo Effects: Neurological Mechanisms Inducing Physiological, Organic, and Belief Responses-A Prospective Analysis. Healthcare November 20, 2024
- Advances in brain and religion studies: a review and synthesis of recent representative studies. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2024
and 32 more in the library
Cites 51
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Psychosis as a state of aberrant salience: a framework linking biology, phenomenology, and pharmacology in schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry 2003
- Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Cerebral Cortex April 9, 2008
- Interoceptive inference, emotion, and the embodied self Trends in Cognitive Sciences October 12, 2013
and 46 more in the library