Episode 10: Built for Divinity?

Humanity and divinity go back centuries and it leads to the classic philosophical debate of which came first - humans or the divine? Do we have an innate lure and connection to the divine and is there a biological basis for the strong beliefs people have? Religions have been created, destroyed, and transformed through the ages as integral parts of our society all with the desire to connect to something larger than ourselves. Join the hosts as they discuss this from a scientific point of view and ponder if such a connection is quantifiable!

Come join our discord! https://discord.gg/kJthJyxTBc

Resources:

Scales developed relating to magical or religious experience

Magical Ideation Scale: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6841765/

Religious Experience Scale: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6197485/

Intensity of Religious Experience Scale: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10943-020-01084-7

Neurological papers related to the brain and spirituality

Post-traumatic Growth and Spirituality after Brain Injury: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/brain-impairment/article/abs/posttraumatic-growth-and-spirituality-after-brain-injury/A871DC2434004F24F8CDDBB671DC4A21

Biological and Cognitive Underpinnings of Religious Fundamentalism: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5500821/

Right Parietal Lobe "Self-lessness" as the Neuropsychological Basis of Spirituality: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10508619.2012.657524?journalCode=hjpr20#preview

Commentary on the "God Spot" in the Right Parietal Lobe: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/god-spot-in-brain-is-not-n1440518

Mystical Experience from Psilcybin: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3050654/

Mechanisms of Psychedelic Visionary Experiences: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5625021/

The God Gene

The God Gene Experiment: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2262126/

Original Book: The God Gene: How Faith Is Hardwired into Our Genes by Dean Hammer