Praying May Increase Brain Power


	Praying May Increase Brain Power

thisnamecantbetaken

8-20-2009 5:08 PM

268 views

thisnamecantbetaken says:

The concept of neurotheology presents an interesting take on the conventional belief that science and religion are opposites, housed in entirely different segments of the human mind and soul. Newberg’s studies show that there’s no specific area of the brain that responds to spiritual stimulation. Rather, “religious experiences fire neurons in several different parts of the brain, just like other events do.”

2 Comments |

Add a Comment

8-21-2009 4:23 AM

Oortcloud

Well, we know that it sparks the imagination ...

8-21-2009 3:17 PM

JackieDel

Let's not confuse meditation with religion!

Login to Comment. Not a member yet? Sign up

Today's Top Clips

visit the Top Clips page

View the Top Clips from August 20, 2009

Embed This Clip In Your Site...

<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://www.clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/b79bd499-f5ef-49d5-9d4b-313a1ed4bbd0/3075BFE5-C247-4EE9-8B1F-D2BA3C4E2AC1/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/science/2009/august/Praying-May-Increase-Brain-Power-.html" href="http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/science/2009/august/Praying-May-Increase-Brain-Power-.html" style="font-size: 11px;">www.findingdulcinea.com</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/science/2009/august/Praying-May-Increase-Brain-Power-.html"><H1 id="article_capsule_headline">Praying May Increase Brain Power</H1></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/science/2009/august/Praying-May-Increase-Brain-Power-.html"><div align="center"><img src="http://content7.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/www.findingdulcinea.com/img/B2F80462-FE53-4592-B979-4A951796B162" alt="praying, prayers, god, religion " /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/science/2009/august/Praying-May-Increase-Brain-Power-.html"><DIV id="article_capsule_deck">A new study has found that intense prayer and meditation have a positive effect on mental ability, leading one researcher to suggest that it’s possible to reconcile science and religion.</DIV></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/science/2009/august/Praying-May-Increase-Brain-Power-.html">religious individuals and “even atheists can enjoy the mental benefits that believers derive from faith.” Exercises of faith such as meditation and prayer have beneficial effects on our brains, improving concentration and calmness. According to Reuters, brain scanners showed that “intense meditation alters our gray matter, strengthening regions that focus the mind and foster compassion while calming those linked to fear and anger.”</blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/science/2009/august/Praying-May-Increase-Brain-Power-.html">This positive effect is not dependent on whether the individual believes in a supernatural connection through prayer or is merely “an atheist repeating a mantra,” Newberg explains. “In essence, when you think about the really big questions in life—be they religious, scientific or psychological—your brain is going to grow,” he tells Reuters.
	</blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/3075BFE5-C247-4EE9-8B1F-D2BA3C4E2AC1/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content8.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

New from the makers of Clipmarks: Amplify.com - Don't just share the news...Amplify it!

Clipmarks: Home; New Clips; Top Clips; Dashboard

Popular Topics: News; Life; Science; Technology; Entertainment

Get Started: Sign Up; Install Clipping Tool; How Clipping Works; Clip-to-Blog™; ClipSearch

Tools and Resources: FAQ; ClipWeek; Top Clippers; Top Tags; Site Map

About Clipmarks: About Us; Contact; Copyright; Privacy; EULA

Search Options

Today's Top Clips