I have always been intrigued by two things in my life: Religion and Psychology. These two topics have made me ponder on various occasions and today in my blog I want to discuss one aspect of these two topics, the Psychology of Religion. The psychology of religion is a well-evolved stream of social science that uses psychological methods to study religion and its relationship to people's lives. Organized religion is said to have existed for the past 11,000 years when the initial human settlements discovered agriculture, eventually leading to a population explosion. The hunters and gatherers started settling down and the formation of communities and colonies took shape. The ecosystem advanced and various vocations and jobs evolved as per the need.
Healthcare evolved as an important need to cater to the diseased and sick individuals in the community. But many times, when the human mind came across a block in terms of trying the means to cure through the resources available there was a need to rely on something divine. Nature and natural forces were considered as the providers and the divine that could influence human existence, make or break them. Then came the intermediates who could interpret the messages from nature for the benefit of the laymen and help communicate between the two. This chain of events is probably from the scientific theories put forward by various anthropologists and evolutionary scientists. There is another side of the story, the three Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam believe in the genesis of religion or organized religion right from the birth of humanity or even before humans were made by the supreme being in the heavens. This belief is shared by other major religions such as Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, etc.
Whichever is the truth, the one question remains relevant … Does religion have an impact on human psychology? Religion is an organized set of beliefs and practices, that involves a sense of connection to something greater than oneself (God), and a search for meaning in life. Religion has a profound impact on our belief system, our attitude, our values, our social life, and most importantly our behavior. Psychology is a science that deals with the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of human beings. Various studies have shown that religion has both positive and negative effects on various components of the mental and physical health of human beings.
There is something interesting that I want the readers to know. There is a multidisciplinary field of study that seeks to understand the relationship between the human brain and religion. It’s called Neurotheology, also known as ‘spiritual neuroscience’. Let us understand one more variable here i.e. spirituality. It is broadly defined as a concept that involves a sense of connection to something greater than oneself, and a search for meaning in life. At this point, we realize that there is a thin line between spirituality and religion. Religion and spirituality differ in their structure, focus, concepts, and nature. Let me also point out that religion is not synonymous with spirituality. Spirituality is the inward journey and the individual practice of tools to attain peace and purpose. Religion in its existing form is more like a communal (or community oriented) structure while spirituality is more focused on ‘self’.
The ’self’ is part of the larger community and hence one can also say that religion not only facilitates spirituality, but it also helps serve other functions that are psychological, physical, and social in nature. “The basic idea underlying religion is to create an atmosphere for the spiritual development of an individual”, in the words of Dr. B R Ambedkar. Let’s focus on the impact religion has on the mental health of human beings. In my own experience and also many studies illustrate that religion can make you feel more optimistic, it can reduce anxiety and depression, and often help improve coping skills. Spirituality helps in increasing one's resilience and helps reduce the risk of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, self-harm, etc. Overall, the good use of religious practices can help in self-control, and mindfulness, and help in various physical and social spheres of life. Religious and spiritual practices such as prayers and meditation can also help reduce tension, stress, and anxiety, stabilize mood, and improve self-awareness and self-knowledge.
Some studies also indicate lower panic attacks, suicide rates, lower alcoholism, and lower drug abuse in religious individuals. Religious and spiritual practices have also been found to have profound effects on sleep-related issues. Religious and spiritual practices and beliefs have been found to impact physical health, especially pains and chronic ailments. They are believed to have an impact on cognitive control, emotional salience, and also the behavior of the individual. There are flip sides to religious practices and it can lead to rigidity, deranged belief systems, and delays in the timely utilization of healthcare services. The other issues related to the other extreme are religious obsession, elitism, and exploitation. Blid following and superstitions are also the offshoots of such deranged belief systems.
The neuropsychology of religious practices is interesting to understand and studies a wide range of experiences faced by practitioners of various faiths. The experiences are important. What happens when one visits a holy place or a shrine or a house of worship? The brain is connected with various aspects of the body physiology modulated by the autonomic nervous system and the neuroendocrine system. The relationship between the cognitive processes in the brain and the autonomic nervous system can definitely explain the experiences we have while undergoing a specific spiritual or religious rituals and practices. I personally have gone through (and heard the same from many people) about their experiences. The sprinkling of holy water, the use of holy ash, a specific prayer, a chanting all of these have been found to be working and healing taken place in various cases and getting termed as miracles. The rationalist and psychologist will differ and argue that it’s the human brain, the conscious and the sub-conscious mind that actually is the seat of power to push the individual to the healing path and help manifest.
To sum it up, religion and spirituality might tend to look alike but are actually different.
“Religion is the belief in someone else’s experience. Spirituality is having your own experience” as beautifully described by Deepak Chopra. Both of them have a profound impact on the human mind in the cognitive, emotional and behavioural aspects. Both of them through the practices and beliefs can render positive as well negative effects on the mental health of human beings.
