Religious and spiritual experiences are universal human phenomena. A review in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews examines them through neuroscience and complex systems perspectives.
A Major Cognitive Transition
The emergence of spiritual and religious practices marks a major transition in cognitive evolution. These experiences are uniquely human in their elaboration.
Neural Correlates
Neuroimaging studies have identified brain regions activated during religious experiences, meditation, and prayer. Default mode, salience, and frontoparietal networks are consistently implicated.
Complex Systems Approach
The review emphasizes that spiritual experiences emerge from complex brain dynamics, not isolated regions. Interactions between systems produce the phenomenology.
This perspective aligns with views of consciousness as emerging from complex neural integration.
Evolution and Culture
Spiritual experiences likely have evolutionary roots but are elaborated by culture. Understanding this interaction requires integrating biological and cultural perspectives.
Reference: Bhattacharyya S, et al. (2025). Religious and spiritual experiences from a neuroscientific and complex systems perspective. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.105774 | PMID: 40774474
Disclaimer: The image accompanying this article is for illustrative purposes only and does not depict actual experimental results, data, or biological mechanisms.