In their recently published book, How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist (New York: Ballantine Books, 2009), authors Andrew Newberg MD and Mark Robert Waldman present readers with this question: What effects do spiritual practices have on the brain?
Their research suggests that spiritual practices, even when performed without religious beliefs, enhance the neural system of the brain to such an extent that physical, mental and emotional health is sustained.
The brain’s peak functioning is the key to longevity and physical health. Listed below are eight ways that were identified by the authors to be central to the brain’s peak functioning. Arranged from the most important to the least, these are eight ways to enhance physical, mental and spiritual health.
Religious Faith and Brain Function
According to the authors, faith is equivalent with hope, optimism and the belief that one is part of a positive future. Faith can also be defined as implicit trust in one’s belief even when rational evidence is not visible.
Research shows that “a moderate optimistic illusion” is essential for motivation and mental health. Highly optimistic people activate parts of the anterior cingulate that control anxiety, depression, rage; this is the same area that nurtures compassion and social consciousness.
Brain Function and Dialogue with Others
Social interaction through dialogue fosters the neural structures of the brain. Social isolation starves the brain because the necessary interconnection between portions of the brain and neural structures are hampered or delayed. Communication with family, friends and the world at large maintains a healthy brain.
Aerobic Exercise's Impact on the Mind
All forms of exercise enhance neural functioning, especially vigorous exercise. Studies show that exercise can help restore brain circuits damaged by brain lesions and strokes; it also repairs and protects the brain from stress by enhancing neural plasticity. It slows down loss of brain tissues.
Moreover, aerobic exercise like walking and running can be viewed as a form of meditation because of their dependence on breath regulation.
Meditation and the Nervous System
Research shows that meditation strengthens the health of the nervous system, leading to stronger physical and emotional health. During meditation, anti-depression neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin are released.
In one study, students taught to meditate before taking a test outperformed those who exercised or napped. Even 10-15 minutes of meditation can confer significant psychological and cognitive benefits on people.
Yawning and its Impact on the Brain
Yawning is a “powerful neural enhancing tool.” Brain scan studies have shown that yawning stimulates neural activity in areas of the brain directly linked to social awareness and empathy.
According to researchers in London, England, yawning directly activates the precuneus, a structure in the parietal lobe associated with self reflection, consciousness and memory. The precuneus can also be stimulated by yogic breathing. Yawning generates the sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) or the coherent state when the mind is both relaxed and alert at the same time.
Conscious Relaxation and Mental Health
Deliberate scanning of the body to relax muscle tension sharpens cognitive functions and improves one’s sense of well-being. Ritual prayers and repetitive activities like knitting can calm the mind and allow the brain to renew itself.
Staying Intellectually Active to Keep the Brain Healthy
Intellectual activities strengthen the neural circuits of the frontal lobe, which has more neural interconnections than any other lobe. Studies also suggest that a strong frontal lobe is linked with self-management in terms of lifestyle, diet, exercise routines and emotional control. Strategy games like chess, reading, writing, taking up a new hobby are mental pursuits that sharpen the mind. Even being actively involved in part time work after retirement gives the brain a boost.
Smiling and Optimism
Repetitive acts of smiling, even when one does not feel like doing so, can strengthen the brain’s neural ability to maintain a sense of optimism.
What is most exciting about Newberg and Waldman’s research is their suggestion that spiritual benefits can be enhanced through non-spiritual activities. Their book has given credence to the idea that spirituality is a universal experience of body and spirit in a state of coherence.
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