Spiritual Science: New Study Reveals the Surprising Effects of Spirituality on the Brain

Many studies have demonstrated the positive effects of meditation and mindfulness practices on the body and brain. Another study found “a direct correlation between the level of importance a person places on spirituality in their lives and the thickness of certain regions of their brains. The study found that that people who expressed that spirituality or religion was important to them had significantly thicker cerebral cortices—a part of the brain rich in highly active neural networks responsible for sensory perception, language and emotion processing—than those who did not.” Additionally, those with thinner regions were more prone to depression, hereditary or acquired. “The study’s findings are in line with other similar research aimed at demonstrating a correlation between a person’s predominant state of mind, brain functioning and other physical reactions in the body. For example, a recent study by Kaliman et al. (2014) found that intensive meditation positively affected gene expression. The expression of genes that are involved in inflammation, and more generally in the body’s stress response, were downregulated, meaning that these processes were reduced or muted, which positively affects a number of markers for overall health and wellbeing. Changes in gene expression are likely related to many of the actual physical changes the brain experiences as a result of meditation and mindfulness practices, as well as one’s overarching beliefs and thought patterns such as those found in the participants who placed a high degree of emphasis on spirituality.” The brain is also influenced by our moods. Read article