Lobotomising people makes them more atheistic, more prog

[demi-conservative]

The team, comprised of scientists from the University of York and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), used 39 politically moderate students as test subjects. The two were split into two groups - one, the control group, was given a sham dose of magnetism that was not strong enough to influence brain activity.

The other got a strong pulse of TMS that was strong enough to temporarily shut down their posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC), a part of the brain that "plays a key role in both detecting discrepancies between desired and current conditions and adjusting subsequent behaviour to resolve such conflicts."

In other words, this part of the brain processes threats and conflicts, and decides how to respond to them.

The collected results showed a marked difference in attitudes between the two groups. Amongst those who received the strong magnetic dose, 32.8 per cent fewer had decreased beliefs in God, angels and heaven compared to the control group who received no dose.
And 25.8 per cent more of those who had received TMS had a more positive response to the immigrant who had written a negative letter about their country.

In other words, those given the magnetic treatment were found to have decreased beliefs in God and more positive views towards immigrants.http://www.independent.co.uk/news/sc...-a6695291.html

Obviously more work needs to be done with more people, but findings are very interesting, also suggestive!!!

[Sparko]

so combined with the study in the other thread that Atheists are more intelligent, I conclude that frying your brain makes you smarter!

[JonathanL]

so combined with the study in the other thread that Atheists are more intelligent, I conclude that frying your brain makes you smarter!

It's a well known fact that reading too advanced literature for too long can fry your brain.

[Meh Gerbil]

It's a well known fact that reading too advanced literature for too long can fry your brain.

Do you think I should include a health warning with each of my posts?

[Sparko]

Do you think I should include a health warning with each of my posts?

Definitely.

Biohazard.

[Catholicity]

FYI TMS is a very important tool in treatment resistant mental illness. Its often used in Schizophrenia and Bipolar for those who've tried multiple medications and are still experiencing both positive and negative symptoms as well as on multiple medications, ECT and the treatments in combo with therapy simply are not working. The reason for its diminished capacity on the belief in God, results in a diminishment in delusional thinking, hence its use.

[Sparko]

FYI TMS is a very important tool in treatment resistant mental illness. Its often used in Schizophrenia and Bipolar for those who've tried multiple medications and are still experiencing both positive and negative symptoms as well as on multiple medications, ECT and the treatments in combo with therapy simply are not working. The reason for its diminished capacity on the belief in God, results in a diminishment in delusional thinking, hence its use.

You think believing in God is delusional thinking?

[David Hayward]

Lobotomising people makes them more atheistic, more progressive

Obviously more work needs to be done with more people, but findings are very interesting, also suggestive!!!

My knowledge of biology is poor, especially of where in the brain named regions are and in particular I have no idea whether the posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC) the study "temporarily shut down" is the same as, or overlaps, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex lesioned by combat wounds in another study.

That second study found that "veterans with these (pMFC) lesions reported higher levels of religious fundamentalism compared to those without the lesions." Do the studies contradict each other?

http://www.psypost.org/2017/05/study...entalism-48860

I note WM Briggs undercuts that study with a few commonsense observations (ie the researchers didn't use much common sense.)

https://stream.org/brain-damage-incr...fic-arrogance/

I think the bottom line is that when you read that people have used scientific methodology and highly advanced technology to gather their findings based on a statistical analysis of the data -- ie conducted a research study -- the old saw still applies:

There's lie, damned lies and statistics.

Mistrust and question the lot (both when they favour your views and when they don't.)

[Catholicity]

You think believing in God is delusional thinking?

Seriously Sparky? No I think those with specific disorders have delusions that they can speak for God, are God etc......which would be why TMS and ECT work they calm the lobes of the brain down which are responsible for those delusions

[Sparko]

My knowledge of biology is poor, especially of where in the brain named regions are and in particular I have no idea whether the posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC) the study "temporarily shut down" is the same as, or overlaps, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex lesioned by combat wounds in another study.

That second study found that "veterans with these (pMFC) lesions reported higher levels of religious fundamentalism compared to those without the lesions." Do the studies contradict each other?

http://www.psypost.org/2017/05/study...entalism-48860

I note WM Briggs undercuts that study with a few commonsense observations (ie the researchers didn't use much common sense.)

https://stream.org/brain-damage-incr...fic-arrogance/

I think the bottom line is that when you read that people have used scientific methodology and highly advanced technology to gather their findings based on a statistical analysis of the data -- ie conducted a research study -- the old saw still applies:

There's lie, damned lies and statistics.

Mistrust and question the lot (both when they favour your views and when they don't.)

when it comes to soldiers I would say you need to take into account "survival" as a motive for believing. When you face your own mortality and come through it, you tend to be more open to God.