http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5296728.stm

A University of Montreal team found Christian mystical experiences are mediated by several brain regions.

Researchers asked 15 nuns to recount mystical experiences while studying them on MRI scanners, the journal, Neuroscience Letters reported.

Interestingly a conclusion is mentioned before the results.

What did they do?
Researchers asked the nuns aged 23 to 64-years-old to recount such mystical experiences and measured their brain activity through MRI scans.

They found increased activity in at least 12 regions of the brain, including areas normally involved with self-consciousness and emotion.

What can you really conclude from these results?

That recounting an experience involves at least the increased activity of 12 regions of the brain.

1. the brain activity was not measured during a mystical experience.
2. No control group is mentioned. That would be a normal group of people recounting a non-mystical experience. Or the same nuns recounting a non-mystical experience. In fact the whole nun study was the control. No mystical experience was present during the study.

In other words.

Once again: Shit research.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5296728.stm



Interestingly a conclusion is mentioned before the results.

What did they do?
Researchers asked the nuns aged 23 to 64-years-old to recount such mystical experiences and measured their brain activity through MRI scans.

They found increased activity in at least 12 regions of the brain, including areas normally involved with self-consciousness and emotion.

What can you really conclude from these results?

That recounting an experience involves at least the increased activity of 12 regions of the brain.

1. the brain activity was not measured during a mystical experience.
2. No control group is mentioned. That would be a normal group of people recounting a non-mystical experience. Or the same nuns recounting a non-mystical experience. In fact the whole nun study was the control. No mystical experience was present during the study.

In other words.

Once again: Shit research.
I haven't got the time to read this, but Im sure your criticism is based on a biased predispotion to deny the obvious i.e. that there must be some region in the brain that desires and is stimulated by religous behaviour, rather than a critism of research practices. I've only seen this brand of stubborness in Dawkins who also flattly believes that religion could have manifested, peaked and fell and endured even to an incredibally high extent in the post scientific age, purely due to nurture.
I must agree though no control is disturbing, but so? It was not mentioned? I would like to see it clarified that no control was used though, because it seems ludicrous to believe that a university research facility would conduct such poor research.
Once again you appear to be casually and unproductively dismissive purely to inflate your head.

I haven't got the time to read this, but Im sure your criticism is based on a biased predispotion to deny the obvious i.e. that there must be some region in the brain that desires and is stimulated by religous behaviour, rather than a critism of research practices. I've only seen this brand of stubborness in Dawkins who also flattly believes that religion could have manifested, peaked and fell and endured even to an incredibally high extent in the post scientific age, purely due to nurture.
I must agree though no control is disturbing, but so? It was not mentioned? I would like to see it clarified that no control was used though, because it seems ludicrous to believe that a university research facility would conduct such poor research.
Once again you appear to be casually and unproductively dismissive purely to inflate your head.

Better an inflated head than one full of shit like you.

Yeah fucking really? you take me on in a physics debate then.
Get those oranges out of your ass and think things through like a real science advocate instead of criticising so readily, never jump to conclusions.

I haven't got the time to read this, but Im sure your criticism is based on a biased predispotion to ....

Off hand, any chance of you perhaps wanting to take the time out to read and review your own criticism, written in your own words in regard to your own exact actions in posting here?

Spurious is merely criticising sloppy method applied on the part of researchers, not going hammer and tongs down other members throats in personal attacks to do it.

Take a pill.

It seems to me that the only thing they found out is what areas of the brain are involved in recalling a "mystical experience."

I'm fairly sure that LSD would produce the same effects.

Actually what it suggests to me is that Nun's and their "vows of Celibacy (or Chastity if you get nit picky)" are actually to blame. I'm suggesting that perhaps they wouldn't have "Mystical experiences" if they went out and got laid. (Although saying that, getting laid for some is a mystical experience ;)