Religious thought and behaviour as by-products of brain function

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Neuroscience of Religion
• Evolutionary Psychology

Background:

• Religious concepts leverage existing, functionally distinct mental systems.
• These systems are also active in non-religious contexts.
• Supernatural agency notions require explanation for their intuitive appeal.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review evidence on how religious concepts interact with cognitive systems.
• To explore the neural basis of religious belief plausibility.
• To propose a cognitive neuroscience framework for understanding religious beliefs.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing evidence on cognitive systems and religious concepts.
• Analysis of neural resources associated with distinct mental systems.
• Synthesis of findings to explain the intuitive plausibility of supernatural agency.

Main Results:

• Religious concepts 'tweak' inferences of systems for animacy, agency, social exchange, morality, and misfortune.
• Each system utilizes distinct neural resources.
• Joint, coordinated activation of these systems underlies the intuitive plausibility of supernatural agency.

Conclusions:

• The intuitive plausibility of supernatural agency arises from the coordinated activation of multiple, pre-existing cognitive systems.
• This perspective supports the development of a cognitive neuroscience of religious beliefs.
• Understanding religious cognition requires examining the interplay of diverse neural networks.