Γιατί πιστεύουμε : Πώς η επιστήμη του εγκεφάλου εξηγεί την ανάγκη μας για τον Θεό

by Andrew B. Newberg, Mark Robert Waldman, Γιώτα Γκουμέα (Translator)

Από πού προέρχεται η πίστη μας στο Θεό; Γιατί υπάρχουν ηθικές αξίες; Γιατί κάποιοι άνθρωποι πιστεύουν και άλλοι όχι; Γεφυρώνοντας την επιστήμη, την ψυχολογία και τη θρησκεία οι συγγραφείς αυτού του βιβλίου αποκαλύπτουν, για πρώτη φορά, πώς τα πιστεύω μας αναδύονται μέσα από τις νευρωνικές δραστηριότητες του εγκεφάλου μας. Με απλά λόγια, εξηγούν πώς ο εγκέφαλος αντιλαμβάνεται την πραγματικότητα και την μεταμορφώνει σε ένα φάσμα από προσωπικούς, ηθικούς και δημιουργικούς συλλογισμούς που τους χρησιμοποιούμε για να προσδώσουμε νόημα, αξία, πνευματικότητα και αλήθεια στη ζωή μας.

Στηριγμένοι σε νέες, επαναστατικές έρευνες της επιστήμης του εγκεφάλου, συμπεριλαμβανομένων εγκεφαλικών απεικονίσεων ανθρώπων που προσεύχονται και διαλογίζονται, οι Νιούμπεργκ και Γουόλντμαν προτείνουν ένα νέο μοντέλο για το πώς προκύπτουν τα πιο βαθιά πιστεύω μας και πώς αυτά επηρεάζουν τη ζωή μας. Μέσα από προσωπικές ιστορίες, ηθικά παράδοξα και οπτικές ψευδαισθήσεις οι συγγραφείς δείχνουν πώς ο εγκέφαλός μας κατασκευάζει τις υποθέσεις που κάνουμε για την πραγματικότητα, και προσφέρουν τρόπους για να αναπτύξουμε μια θετικότερη και περισσότερο ανεκτική στάση ζωής. Ένα βιβλίο που θα αλλάξει για πάντα τον τρόπο που βλέπετε τον κόσμο και τον εαυτό σας.

Genres: Psychology, Science, Religion, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Neuroscience, Spirituality

411 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 2006

About the author

Dr. Andrew Newberg is Director of Research at the Myrna Brind Center for Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Medical College. He is also Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He is Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Nuclear Medicine. He is considered a pioneer in the neuroscientific study of religious and spiritual experiences, a field frequently referred to as – neurotheology. His work attempts to better understand the nature of religious and spiritual practices and experiences. This has been compiled into his latest book, Principles of Neurotheology, which reviews the important principles and foundations of neurotheology. Believing that it is important to keep science rigorous and religion religious, he has engaged the topic like few others. He has been fascinated by the implications of this research for the study of the mind, brain, consciousness, morality, theology, and philosophy. He has also been particularly interested in the relationship between the brain, religion, and health. His research has included brain scans of people in prayer, meditation, rituals, and various trance states. He has also performed surveys of people's spiritual experiences and attitudes. Finally, he has evaluated the relationship between religious and spiritual phenomena and health. This includes a recent study on the effect of meditation on memory.

In his career, he has also actively pursued neuroimaging research projects on the study of aging and dementia, Parkinson's disease, depression, and other neurological and psychiatric disorders. He has also researched the neurophysiological correlates of acupuncture, meditation, and alternative therapies, and how brain function is associated with mystical and religious experiences. Dr. Newberg helped develop stress-management programs for the University of Pennsylvania Health Systems and received a Science and Religion Course Award from the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences for his program entitled "The Biology of Spirituality" in the Department of Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania. He is currently teaching a course in the Department of Religious Studies entitled, “Science and the Sacred: An Introduction to Neurotheology.”

Dr. Newberg has published over 150 research articles, essays and book chapters, and is the co-author of the best selling books, Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief (Ballantine, 2001) and How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist (Ballantine, 2009). He has also published, Principles of Neurotheology (Ashgate, 2011) Why We Believe What We Believe (Ballantine, 2006), and The Mystical Mind (Fortress Press, 1999). He has presented his research throughout the world in both scientific and public forums. He appeared on Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America, ABC's World News Tonight, National Public Radio, London Talk Radio and over fifteen nationally syndicated radio programs. His work has been featured in Time, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and many other newspapers and magazines. An overview of his work can be viewed at on this site.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most up-to-date information from a brain/mind researcher into what goes on inside our neural anatomy when we ponder "reality". The best book on this topic that I have read thus far.

[Oliver · Rating 2 out of 5]

2025 Reading Challenge #3: A book with a pronoun in the title ☑
(Could also count towards Reading Challenge #15)
Read: January 29 - February 5

I wish I’d read this back when I first put it on my to-read list in 2013 (although even then it would’ve been dated!) because I suspect a lot of new (and more thorough) studies have been conducted since its publication in 2006. For example, the author mentions how, at the time, they were only in “the early stages of learning how to map the functions of the brain.” How much progress have scientists made in the last 19 years? I’m not making an assertion about how much; I’m genuinely asking. There are probably more up-to-date books on this subject out there.

Of course, it’s not Newberg’s fault that I read his book nearly two decades later. I will, however, criticize his apparent failure to satisfactorily uncover our biological need for meaning, spirituality, and truth. While he does explain why we believe what we believe, I felt like most of what he wrote about was only tangentially related. He writes at length about optical (and physical) illusions, (faulty and fabricated) memory, morality, and even transcendent experiences (e.g. an entire chapter about speaking in tongues). I understand that he uses illusions, flawed memories, etc. to demonstrate how imperfect our perception of the world (and therefore our beliefs) can be, but I was unimpressed (that’s not to say I disagree) with his connecting of dots. Yes, our reductionist tendencies certainly limit us from building beliefs from complete information, but he devoted too much time to such a basic block before getting to more substantial points.

I thought the brain scans of the nuns, Buddhist practitioners, and Pentacostal women speaking in tongues might be more revelatory, and while it was interesting to see how the thalamus behaved differently than what might be expected, the section was ultimately useless because it didn’t conclusively show anything, except for whatever conclusion your personal beliefs lead you to. At one point he even puts forward the question, “Could some people be born with a biological inclination toward spirituality, and others not,” then answers himself, “Accumulating evidence suggests that genetic factors may account for a substantial percentage of the individual differences in religious attitude, interests, and values.” He adds the caveats that “it is a huge speculative jump to say that a specific gene is responsible” for this, but never elaborates further. I guess he included it more as just something to chew on, because a few pages later he admits, “we are decades away from making more definitive statements about the biology of spiritual experiences and beliefs.”

There are also way too many anecdotes (like the ones about his aunt and uncle) and hypothetical thought experiments. These make the book less dry and more relatable, but also detract from the book’s authority and persuasiveness. And this isn’t a big deal, but is this a typo, or am I misunderstanding this passage?:

“They found that embarrassment evokes a stronger neural reaction than guilt. This is important, because it helps to substantiate studies in social psychology showing that when one has done something morally wrong, guilt, rather than shame, promotes a greater willingness to change one’s behavior,” (pp. 142-143).

If embarrassment (shame) causes a stronger neural response, then doesn’t that mean shame promotes a greater willingness to modify behavior? I would assume it is as Newberg writes in the second sentence (that guilt would), but then didn’t he mean to write guilt evokes a stronger neural reaction? Or are neural reactions bad (in the context of ability to reflect on one’s behavior)?

The best parts are the parts about placebos and belief biases, but he didn’t include enough about the former, and I was already familiar with pretty much everything he said about the latter.

For instance, Newberg begins the book with a remarkable case from the 1950s of a cancer patient —“Mr. Wright”— who basically cured (and caused the relapse of) his tumors just by fervent belief in an experimental drug. When I excitedly told a friend of mine about that, he told me about some studies conducted by Dr. Ted Kaptchuk, which also have some shocking implications about the power of belief (and, additionally, the mixed reception he is getting in the scientific community exemplifies exactly what Newberg talks about elsewhere in the book: how the notions of “truth” and “proof” are not as objective as we think [Or, perhaps, how political science is/can be]). I also remember reading an article back in college about a study that found that participants who overestimated how many calories you burn doing a given exercise actually burned more calories than people who had a better understanding of average calories would be burned. I’ve looked but can’t find that study anywhere online, but I wasn’t in college until after 2006, and Dr. Kaptchuk’s findings were published until after 2006 as well, so it isn’t Newberg’s fault for not including them, but surely there are more studies from between 1950 and 2006 that he could have mentioned.

I’d say it is super important for everyone to understand and always be aware of our biases, especially if you’re trying to understand why people believe what they believe, but this makes up less than ten pages of the book. Everyone should learn about biases and placebos, but there are probably books that spend more time on them than this one.

While I don’t think the book was a waste of time, I do think I can summarize why we believe what we believe (how we come to hold the convictions that we do to the degree that we hold them) with one simple equation:

A stronger emotional impact = a more deeply embedded memory = an experience that feels more real = becomes something we believe to be true.

[Abid · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has emboldened me to more openly embrace spiritual traditions other than those I have inherited. Spiritual experience i.e. identification with the infinite, activates the same areas of the brain and one can therefore participate in any tradition without believing the core tenets. One can just draw on the practices that can be stripped of superstition. Whether you are a Muslim, a Buddhist, Christian or Hindu, when you concentrate, your brain brings you to the present because the same areas of the brain are activated.
Lesson: As long as a spiritual practice is concerned with entering the realm of the present, is not harmful, it is valid. Just don't let superstition interfere.

[Rusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good background on a number of studies that an undergrad in psych should be aquainted with, many that the author mentions are classics. He includes his own research which I found facinating. It made me want more, which the author has provided and is still in the process. This book was written in 2006 and the author has published since.

The material is presented simply and straightforwardly. But it develops into a much larger question about meaning, and how science and spirituallity interact to play their parts. If nothing else, you will gain an improved perspectve about yourself. That by itself is worth tbe read.

[Charles Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

After providing the reader with a list of horrible twentieth century genocides, and ensuring us that it is easier to generate a negative experience than a positive one, and stating that ordinarily people act in a way that is selfish, and showing how easy it is to get ordinary citizens to mass murder men, women, and children again and again, the author states that, fortunately, the large majority of people uphold moral beliefs.
What about the multitudinous governments/religions that forbid personal freedom? How are people so easily fleeced into not only taking away the rights of others but in surrendering their own freedoms?
Come on, here is an author who seriously needs to have his medications reviewed.
Newberg’s verbiage such as “moral beliefs” should be properly defined.
But, all is not lost. His 27 ways our brain distorts reality deserves a serious read.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a reread and I am not done yet but I think this book is a little dated. I read a few of the Dalai Lama's books, watched a lot of his videos and others and Buddhism isn't about cancelling all thought and so on like he mentions in a short paragraph. And his use of the example of this guy who believed this new drug would cure him and suddenly his tumors disappeared over night and so on then they came back when reports were that the medicine didn't work and he says this is how powerful belief is and possibly so or possibly the medicine did work on him. And he makes it sound like this was a common thing but then you look and the report he cites is from 1950 and may or may not be like he described. If belief could make tumors vanish over night then we'd've studied that.
Even studying Buddhist monks meditating doesn't do much.
I don't think this book is scientific enough.

[John Leven · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d have probably enjoyed this book more if I hadn’t already read a ton of psychology books. Because I’m fairly well read on this topic, I have a pretty high bar for what I’d consider 4 or 5 stars. Unfortunately, this book contained nothing that I hadn’t already read, and it was not presented as well as other psychology books I’ve previously rated 4 or 5 stars.

[Mehmet Kalaycı · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. This book demonstrates how our beliefs are born from an early age and influenced by our social class, family and environment. The authors also underline the difficulty of changing one's beliefs even when the evidence is to the contrary. It's an intellectual and lifelong commitment to defying our own beliefs in order to better comprehend situations and the world around us.

[Bradley Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Newberg does a fantastic job bringing real neuroscience to how people hold beliefs ... especially in a religious context. Using tools like EEG and fMRI, he shed light on how people have very similar experiences that can appear incomprehensible to the outsider.

[Amber Volk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating!

[Gustavo Monsalve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una interesante revisión sobre nuestras creencias,fácil de leer bien referenciada c

[Woman Inside Water · Rating 4 out of 5]

So that we can approach the effects of beliefs - particularly religious or spiritual ones - on people, it is necessary to acknowledge what science and technology can do and what it can't. Our technology can only measure and record empirical data as we observe from the outside as objectively as possible. Beliefs come from the mind whereas scientifically we are observing the brain, so science doesn't 'prove' or 'disprove' anything in this regard as it is personal and ultimately subjective - not external or material.

This book was very insightful. There is, however, a bias towards thinking that we can be 'hardwired' to certain beliefs and this is a nature vs nurture argument. As we have free will, we do not have to be victims of circumstance although we can be predisposed towards, say, mental and physical illness or be encouraged towards either in our environment. If we use such bias, in the extreme it can be used to support negative eugenics.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot of interesting stuff in this book. It's not terribly well written, however. Newberg vacillates between being much too relativist (hey, don't want to offend anyone, so who's to say what's right? every random belief you have is okay) and much too certain (merrily leaping from correlation to causation on slim evidence). A key dilemma for Newberg seems to be that he is a scientist, and believes that science is the way to establish our best guesses at truth, but many of his subjects wouldn't work with him if he made this too plain.

Perhaps Newberg's worst offense, however, is misreading Douglas Adams. Anyone who believes that "how many roads must a man walk down" is the actual Question (for the answer of 42) is a moron.

[Eneas Núñez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not for this generation. This is the short-version generation, the my-opinions-are-facts generation and this book (like any science book) is full of investigation results that can be used by a religious group or a skeptic. It's incredibly interesting to realize how people's beliefs and the rituals (prayers, speaking in tongues, meditation) is all a biological response. I didn't understand a lot of it, considering neurology is not my strong point, however it's a fascinating book, though the last chapters felt out of place for the type of book, it felt more self-help than a science/neurology book.

(I just realize I have a book In my "I'm reading" list that I haven't even touch)

[Phineas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author's previous book, "Why God Won't Go Away" explained the parts of the brain active in mystical experience and why they are activated from an evolutionary point of view.
This book is even better. It includes the findings from those books, as well as surveying many books of the same type. He's doing some exciting research. Even though I would categorize the book as popular science, it is still pretty dry. But it is a superb thought provoker - that's what I ask for in a book. It is especially effective in breaking down rigid thinking - in this way the book is a great blessing to the world.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been wanting to read this book for several years. Not necessarily this particular book, not knowing it existed until recently, but a book about this subject. About the biological origins of belief. I read two books under the mistaken notion it would be what I wanted. One: The Biology of Belief and Why People Believe Weird Things. Neither one was even close to what I wanted. But this book was so right on. Nearly every page is full of highlighting and writings in the margins. I think this book should be required reading.

[T R · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author who is also a well known doctor who specializes in the study of the brain is also a very good writer! The way he presented their medical findings about how the brain works is very easy to understand. The results of the studies they made about those speaking in tounges is quite fascinating. We dont really need a proof that we believe in is true, but if you wanted to know what happens in our minds when we pray or mediate then this book would be a good read.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why We Believe What We Believe: Uncovering Our Biological Need for Meaning, Spirituality, and Truth by Andrew Newburg and Mark Robert Waldman explores neural activities of the brain in relation to religious practice. Using brain scans of people during prayer, meditation, and speaking in tongues, the authors make a persuasive case that there may be a unique role for religious belief in the human mind.

[R.Z. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was utterly intrigued by the premise that our brains process spirituality in such a way that, to a degree, it can be measured. Clearly not an exact science, but thoughtful people might understand that God needs to speak to us in some way that we can receive the messages. Complicated logic, and not necessarily true, but certainly thought-provoking!

[LWDC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helping fill in the gap between science and spirituality / belief / spontaneous healing... A physician who attempts to explore how we get into our own beliefs. Yet getting into a belief is not a car park; something we just reverse out of... even though you can see perhaps learn about how you have come to believe what you believe you still can't change it!!

[stan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and thought provoking. Not an anti-religion book in any way, delving further into the human mind and how it works. Written by a neuroscientist with scientific testing to back it this really goes far into seeing how we think.

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was the book that change my view of World. once i completed this work i then moved onto critically thinking about how i was living my life and then made some changes change. I recommend this for everyone.

[Jasper · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is an interesting subject, the science presented in the book was problematic, experiments/studys were flawed. (small samples, no control group) It still was a worthwhile read and I am going to continue exploring this topic.

[Dan Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Andrew Newberg's books! They take a very different approach to understanding brain function and our belief systems. He keeps a unbiased view of belief systems and examines them all in terms of how brain function is affected. A very good bridge between science and religion!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, but technical.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic! If you are interested in philosophy, education or life-long learning......check it out!!!

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent exploration of neuroscience research on contemplative activity and what it might suggest about the nature of belief!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly a review but I did enjoy a few new ideas...

[Jadevi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book if you want to learn how we think and how we function.

[Richard]

Interesting examination of current knowledge of how the brain works.