Religious experiences of being overcome by the Holy Spirit have psychological explanations
the verdict
SUPPORTED
the evidence backs this
confidence 88/100
Religious and spiritual experiences, including feelings of divine connection or being overcome by the Holy Spirit, are strongly supported by neuroscientific and psychological research as having underlying brain states and cognitive mechanisms.
Evidence for · 4
Classic Hallucinogens and Mystical Experiences: Phenomenology and Neural Correlates.
2018 · cited by 142
Demonstrates that mystical and religious-type experiences can be reliably induced and studied through neuropharmacological means using classic hallucinogens.
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More for · 3
The Neuroscience of Religious Experience
2009 · cited by 133
Reviews how cognitive, social, and affective neuroscience provides physical and evolutionary explanations for religious experiences.
Reward, salience, and attentional networks are activated by religious experience in devout Mormons.
2018 · cited by 15
Shows using neuroimaging that spiritual euphoria and religious feelings in devout individuals are reliably associated with specific brain reward and attentional circuits.
God put a thought into my mind: the charismatic Christian experience of receiving communications from God.
2015 · cited by 13
Examines charismatic Christian communicative experiences through the lens of psychological agency and cognitive mechanisms such as thought attribution.