this post was submitted on 23 Jan 2024
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I was told you guys might like this (lemmy.ml)
submitted 9 months ago by beta_tester@lemmy.ml to c/atheistmemes@lemmy.world
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[–] blahsay@lemmy.world 12 points 9 months ago (1 children)

This is easier to digest: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/religious-experiences-shrink-part-of-brain/

[–] eighty@lemmy.one 17 points 9 months ago (1 children)

If I'm reading this correctly, the findings of this particular paper are more directed towards a relationship between stress/anxiety (such as life-challenging events or religious-related existiential stress) and religious beliefs rather than critical thinking via hippocampal volume (the neural section associated with emotional responses).

It's interesting that there was a pattern of hippocampal atrophy however they do not definitively claim the direction of a causal relationship or if even is one (such as correlational).

Interesting read that sheds into how religiosity may induce additional stressors from having a specific belief system.

[–] blahsay@lemmy.world -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

The cause for the atrophy is hard to prove exactly for obvious reasons but it seems to be in the part of the brain used for critical reasoning. Could be stress too. Either way yes, you can spot the religious because their brains are a bit shrunken

[–] Liz@midwest.social 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Emphasis mine.

The authors offer the hypothesis that the greater hippocampal atrophy in selected religious groups might be related to stress. They argue that some individuals in the religious minority, or those who struggle with their beliefs, experience higher levels of stress. This causes a release of stress hormones that are known to depress the volume of the hippocampus over time. This might also explain the fact that both non-religious as well as some religious individuals have smaller hippocampal volumes.

You can't look at a person's brain to determine if they're religious or not.

[–] blahsay@lemmy.world -2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Eh that just means it's not an exact science and there are exceptions like anything. You'll find qualified statements like that in any good scientific study.

[–] uis@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

We found correlation

It's not science

???

Just in case correlation != causation.

[–] blahsay@lemmy.world 0 points 9 months ago

Pfff the theory gravity is not an absolute. Most things that go up come down though.

What you want is a solid P value in a study, large datasets and a significant result, which that study finds.