"What believing in God does to your brain"

"Researchers found humans suppress the analytical areas of their brain in order to believe in god"

Samuel Osborne  20 hours  ago  627 comments

The study also found those with spiritual beliefs were more empathetic than those without

"Humans suppress areas of the brain used for analytical thinking and engage the parts responsible for empathy in order to believe in god, research suggests.

"They do the opposite when thinking about the physical world, according to the study.

"'When there's a question of faith, from the analytic point of view, it may seem absurd,' said Professor Tony Jack, who led the research.

"'But, from what we understand about the brain, the leap of faith to belief in the supernatural amounts to pushing aside the critical/analytical way of thinking to help us achieve greater social and emotional insight.'"

Read more:  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/what-believing-in-god-does-to-your-brain-a6950956.html


If believing in God makes people more empathetic, then what's the harm?  The world could use a whole lot more empathy and/or God.