Neon Genesis Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/oct....humanbehaviour Scientists have uncovered an ancient and elaborate source of pain relief that is based purely on the power of the mind, according to research published today. Brain scans of volunteers who were subjected to electrical shocks revealed that Roman Catholics felt less pain than atheists and agnostics when they were shown a painting of the Virgin Mary. "The Roman Catholics engaged a brain mechanism that is well known from research into the placebo effect, analgesia and emotional disengagement," said Wiech. "It helps people to reinterpret pain, and make it less threatening. These people felt safe by looking at the Virgin Mary, they felt looked after, so the whole context of the test changed for them." It is highly likely that non-religious people could achieve a similar ability to control pain, perhaps through meditation or other mental strategies. "There's no suggestion that this effect is specific to religion and we've not found the God blob in the brain. This is about the state of mind you can achieve," said Wiech. This is interesting, but I wonder how deists would react to a testing like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwc Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 What if they would have shown the people a picture of a kitten? Or puppy? Baby? Naked female/male? Still life? And so on. Maybe an atheist/agnostic finds no "comfort" in the Virgin Mary? Maybe, as stated, only Catholics and not Protestants find VM helpful but they didn't try that test (according to the article). I'd say this "study" doesn't really show anything. mwc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedah Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 Seconded. I am quite sure that it is very well known that showing a person something that makes them comfortable or placing them in a comforting environment makes them less susceptible to pain. Cat lovers being shown lolcats pictures would have the same effect. This study shows nothing that has not already been proven and reaks of something that has been deliberately concocted in an attempt to fabricate evidence that is somehow in the favor of religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 I'm wondering who funded this study...the fact they only showed the VM makes me think it was done at a catholick hospital or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted October 4, 2008 Author Share Posted October 4, 2008 What if they would have shown the people a picture of a kitten? Or puppy? Baby? Naked female/male? Still life? And so on. Maybe an atheist/agnostic finds no "comfort" in the Virgin Mary? Maybe, as stated, only Catholics and not Protestants find VM helpful but they didn't try that test (according to the article). I'd say this "study" doesn't really show anything. mwc I don't think it was necccessarily trying to show anything special about religion, since the article itself says that atheists and agnostics could produce the same results through other methods like medidation. This research was more about researching the placebo effect than trying to prove something about religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwc Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 I don't think it was necccessarily trying to show anything special about religion, since the article itself says that atheists and agnostics could produce the same results through other methods like medidation. This research was more about researching the placebo effect than trying to prove something about religion. True. The article may be to blame since there's no link to the actual research though the description of Catholics vs. atheist/agnostic sure does imply a religious component. I think that the results should encourage further research to see if there are other "triggers" for this effect (I imagine there are). mwc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiderwire Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 I don't know how much this has to do with debunking or reinforcing the results of the study, but I guaran-damn-tee you that a wounded soldier will have a significantly better chance of hanging on until the medevac chopper gets there if he has a close friend telling him he's gonna be okay and that he's gonna make it. That scenario, as opposed to being alone or unreachable in such a circumstance, will increase a soldier's odds by a wide margin. I have no medical or scientific proof of that, however. I just know it's true. If I were to find myself in a dire situation, encouraging me with thoughts of any god would probably piss me off. Reminding me that I'm gonna have to get through the trial if I ever want to haul another fish out of a river or cruise the open road on my bike ever again, on the other hand, may be just the thing to help me hold on. Again, not a shred of scientific evidence to support those random statements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted October 5, 2008 Super Moderator Share Posted October 5, 2008 I think there is a well-established body of evidence that one's mental attitude has a great deal to do with enduring bad circumstances, pain and even survival. The mind-body connection is accepted by medical science. Belief or desire can and does eliminate pain and save lives. The well documented placebo effect relies entirely on the brain's perception of a situation. Belief is the key, and belief in "what" is irrelevant. If one believes deeply that Jesus or Voodoo or a sugar pill will help, then it does. No revelation or mystery here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sexton Blake Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 What also came out of this study is that such pain relief of religious people can last for weeks, even months, so as was pointed out, it could explain some miraculous healing where everything is as it was before but the person doesn't feel the symptoms now (so can die while feeling well, so never went to the doctor). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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