The Believer's Brain: Home of the Religious and Spiritual Mind

About 90% of people have faith in a supreme being, but our yearning for the divine, and whatever it promises, involves a large divergence in mental states and behaviors. Some adhere to doctrine, supplication, and fastidious religious practices; others have a strong sense they are part of something greater and more universal. However, all religious and spiritual paths are mediated by complex brain networks.

When different areas of the brain are stimulated, a person can have a variety of expe...