Science, Spirituality, & Social Change
We live in a world divided.
And every day
more and more people
are crying out for
systemic,
social
change.
Well,
what if I told you
we’d see
more, better, faster
SOCIAL CHANGE
if we started practicing
good SCIENCE
and that good science
somehow involves
SPIRITUALITY?
Would you
think I’m
crazy? A
religious
fanatic?
Give me 7 minutes to see
if I can help you see what I see.
Let’s start with SCIENCE.
This might get a little ‘heady’ for a minute or two, but stick with me.
There’s a little part of your brain called the ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX (ACC) that’s located at the front of the cingulate cortex and wraps around the head of the corpus callosum. Or in layman’s terms, it’s right above your ear and next to your eye…kinda right behind your temple.
And for the last 12-15 years, the neuroscience community has been doing more and more research and testing on the ACC, and their findings have been nothing short of astounding.
More on that in a minute.
But first,
a little more
about the
ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX.
The ACC is a part of the brain that has DYNAMICS and PLASTICITY.
DYNAMICS means that the ACC is NOT active at all times. Certain words, experiences, and activities can either awaken it or shut it down.
And…
PLASTICITY means that the more it’s used the stronger, healthier, and more active the ACC becomes, or if unused, it can and will deteriorate.
Also, the ACC is the part of the brain that most influences and impacts SOCIAL CONNECTIVITY.
It is responsible for social awareness, EMPATHY, and intuition.
It plays a huge role in belonging, ATTACHMENT, and relational dynamics.
It helps you UNDERSTAND where other people are coming from and meet them there emotionally.
It is the source of and trigger for COMPASSION.
And, because of all that it’s responsible for
and because of its potential impact on
interpersonal relationships and
social systems as a whole,
neuroscientists have conducted
more than 150 independent studies since 2008
involving roughly 100,000 participants
trying to discern how we can increase
the ACTIVITY and FUNCTIONALITY of the…
ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX
And their findings have been remarkable and unexpected.
Which brings us to SPIRITUALITY.
Again, we’re talking about…
150
Independent
Peer-Reviewed
Scientific
Studies
Which means, they were conducted by a wide variety of neuroscientists from a wide variety of faith traditions, including…
Agnostics
Atheists
Buddhists
Christians
Hindus
Humanists
Jews
Mormons
Muslims
Sikhs
And so many others
And there’s a strong possibility that among those 150 neuroscientists there were…
Democrats
Republicans
Independents
Libertarians
Socialists
Constitutionalists
Green Party Loyalists
And people who don’t care about politics at all
They came from a variety of…
Races
Ethnicities
Gender Identities
Geographic Regions
Sexual Orientations
And Social Positions
But they all came to the same conclusion about what activity or exercise yields the greatest, most beneficial, and longest lasting impact on the ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX…
PRAYER.
The neuroscience community has concluded after 15 years and 150 studies that the single most effective and direct way to access and activate the ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX and all its myriad benefits is through…
PRAYER.
I personally approach the world as a Jesus follower or Christian, but this simple scientific fact is true regardless of your faith tradition. Whether you call it prayer, meditation, distant intention, supplication, or obsecration AND whether you pray to Jesus, Allah, Shiva, Buddha, Vishnu, or the universe…
THE SACRED, SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY
OF PRAYER
HAS TREMENDOUS IMPACT
ON THE
ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX.
Now, back to SCIENCE.
There is another part of the brain called the AMYGDALA. It is located in the medial temporal lobe just in front of the hippocampus. It’s the reptilian or primitive part of the brain. And it’s responsible for…
Fear
Anger
Stress
Panic
Anxiety
Fight
Or
Flight
And what scientists have found is that the AMYGDALA and the ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX cannot function at a high level simultaneously. In fact, they have an inversely proportionate relationship – the more the ACC is activated the less the amygdala can do what it does, and vice versa.
And this is where SCIENCE and SPIRITUALITY intersect.
Because of the inverse relationship of the ACC and the amygdala and because of the functions of each, neuroscientists have drawn a couple of conclusions…
Through PRAYER, we activate the ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX, and as a result, experience greater EMPATHY, greater COMPASSION, greater ATTACHMENT, and greater CONNECTIVITY with others.
And through PRAYER, by activating the ACC and, therefore, deactivating or desensitizing the AMYGDALA, we enjoy a substantial reduction in fear, anger, stress, panic, and anxiety.
And these two things taken together can actually REVERSE the effects of aging.
Neuroscientists tell us that the ACC deteriorates with age, and that this process speeds up dramatically when we turn 50.
And because our ACC’s are deteriorating, our social awareness, empathy, and intuition are diminished.
And due to this, sociologists explain that ACC degeneration is why (stereotypically) septuagenarians are less tolerant of other people’s views and less willing to adapt to a changing culture.
But remember PLASTICITY?
The ACC, if used consistently, can grow stronger, healthier, and more active over time.
And when the ACC is healthy and being engaged regularly, it REDUCES the NEGATIVE emotions of fear, anger, stress, and panic – things that tend to increase the probability of high blood pressure, heart disease, pulmonary issues, and senility.
And at the same time, it INCREASES the POSITIVE impulses of empathy, compassion, attachment, and intuition.
And these impulses naturally lead to SOCIAL CHANGE.
Why is there so much strife, conflict, and discord in the world today?
Why so much fighting, bickering, and quarreling?
Where does the unrest, hostility, and hate come from?
Fear
Anger
Anxiety
Panic
Stress
And a misplaced focus
on all the ways
‘they’ are
different
from
‘us’
Race
Religion
Ethnicity
Political Affiliation
Sexual Orientation
Socioeconomic Status
And whatever other
Social Construct
we allow to be
foisted
upon
us
THIS IS BAD SCIENCE.
This is amygdala-controlled thinking.
Fear-based living.
And it leads to health problems for us
And the implosion of society for all.
But neuroscience has found a better way.
Prayer.
But what’s really interesting,
What’s really intriguing
Is what a number of scientists found
when they did specialized studies on the effects of
Intercessory Prayer or Distant Intention
In other words,
What happens when we
Pray less for ourselves
And more for other people,
Specifically, people we are at odds with:
Our anterior cingulate cortex goes into hyperdrive!
Our bodies are flooded with oxytocin
Which is known to reduce stress and anxiety
While producing “pro-social” behaviors like
Trust
Bonding
Empathy
Understanding
Open Communication
And
Love.
And we all know that the things that divide us melt in the face of love.
So just imagine how different the world could be…
How much healthier relationships would be…
How power systems would shift…
How walls would crumble…
In the face of love
if we
would take
the same 7 minutes
it took to read this blog
and invest it daily in praying for
people on the other side of the issue
people with a different hue to their skin
people who participate in a different lifestyle
and people who make absolutely no sense to us at all.
What if we started listening to scientists
who talk about the impact of prayer
on our ACC and amygdala
and gave it a try
7 minutes
a day.
I think the world
would change.
So there you have it:
Good
SCIENCE
tells
us
that
SPIRITUALITY
expressed
through
PRAYER
will
foster
real
SOCIAL CHANGE
© 2021 Hayah Consulting LLC
