TLDR;
This lecture explores the biological underpinnings of religious belief and behavior, examining how religion can provide sanctuary for individuals with neuropsychiatric disorders. It covers topics such as schizophrenia, schizotypal personality, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and temporal lobe personality, and how these conditions relate to religious practices and leadership. The lecture also touches on the genetic, ecological, and evolutionary aspects of religiosity, including the role of "big gods" in complex societies and the health benefits associated with religious belief.
- Religion as sanctuary for neuropsychiatric disorders
- Schizotypal personalities and shamanism
- OCD and religious ritualism
- Temporal lobe personality and religious philosophy
- Genetic, ecological, and evolutionary aspects of religiosity
Introduction [0:00]
The lecture begins by addressing the biology of religious belief, cautioning that some religious practices discussed may be disturbing. The approach is to examine religious behavior like any other human behavior, mixing hormonal and neurological aspects. The lecture emphasizes that exploring the biological bases of religious behavior, including its connections to neuropsychiatric disorders, does not imply that religious belief is psychiatrically suspect. It also notes that there is biology involved with people who are incapable of religious belief.
Religious Behavior Variability [1:52]
The lecture addresses the difficulty of defining religious behavior due to its immense variability, with over 10,000 different religious traditions and heterogeneity among spiritual, religious, and even atheistic individuals. Despite this variability, a recurring theme is that religion often provides sanctuary for individuals who might otherwise be marginalized due to neuropsychiatric disorders, incorporating their problems into religious practices.
Schizophrenia and Schizotypal Personality [3:34]
The lecture connects schizophrenia to religious roles, particularly shamanism. It references Seymour Kety's Danish adoption study, which provided evidence for a genetic component to schizophrenia. Kety's team observed that relatives of individuals with schizophrenia often exhibited schizotypal personality traits, a milder form of the disorder characterized by odd perceptions, social withdrawal, concreteness, and metamagical thinking. Anthropologist Paul Radin identified "half crazy" individuals in traditional societies as shamans, who often display schizotypal traits.
Sanction or Sanctuary [12:37]
Alfred Kroeber's essay "Sanction or Sanctuary" is discussed, highlighting how indigenous religions provide sanctuary and sanction for individuals with schizotypal personalities, who might otherwise be marginalized. Kroeber noted that these societies reward mild and transient psychopathologies, as exemplified by shamans. The lecture suggests that the adaptiveness of schizotypy may carry along genes related to schizophrenia, with shamans representing the heterozygotic advantage.
Irrationality in Western Culture [17:33]
The lecture challenges the notion that Western culture has banished irrationality, citing statistics on beliefs in ghosts, telepathy, UFOs, and the devil. It argues that Western religions are also rooted in metamagical thinking, with influential schizotypal individuals shaping cultural beliefs. The lecture reiterates Kroeber's point about controlled madness, where schizotypal traits are beneficial when appropriately channeled.
Schizophrenia in the West [22:16]
Examples such as Charles Manson and Jim Jones illustrate how extreme cases of mental illness can manifest in disastrous cult movements. However, when schizotypal traits are properly channeled, they can lead to significant cultural influence. The lecture suggests that metamagical thought provides sanctuary for individuals who might otherwise be isolated, sanctioning and celebrating their unique perspectives.
OCD and Ritualism [24:29]
The lecture transitions to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and its connection to religious ritualism. OCD is characterized by obsessions (intrusive thoughts) and compulsions (repetitive actions). The lecture notes that many common behaviors have elements of ritualism. Severe OCD can be as destructive as major depression or schizophrenia, often involving rituals of washing, food preparation, and symmetry.
Common Compulsions in OCD [30:57]
The most common compulsions in OCD include rituals of personal hygiene, food safety, entering and leaving significant places, and numerology. OCD is categorized as an anxiety disorder, with rituals serving to hold off a permeating sense of dread. Psychiatrist Judith Rapoport's metaphor of OCD as a dog circling its blanket endlessly illustrates the inability to permanently quell anxiety.
Religious Rituals and OCD [34:48]
The lecture draws parallels between OCD rituals and religious practices, noting that devout individuals often engage in ornate and fundamentalist rituals. Examples from Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, and Catholicism illustrate the same patterns of cleansing, food purification, entering/leaving rituals, and numerology found in OCD. Religious ritual provides sanctuary and sanction for individuals with a predisposition to ritualism.
Historical Figures and OCD [47:27]
The lecture explores the historical context, referencing Freud's view of religion as a universal obsessional neurosis. Religious leaders have also recognized the potential for rituals to become mindless rote actions. Martin Luther's struggles with anxiety and ritualism are presented as a case study, suggesting that his personal struggles influenced his theological views and ultimately changed history.
The Body as a Test of Faith [52:36]
The lecture discusses how religions often view the body as a means to test faith, with practices such as self-mutilation and self-flagellation being sanctioned and even celebrated. Holy anorexia, or anorexia mirabilis, is presented as another example, where nuns in the 13th-15th centuries fasted to prove their love for God. The case of Saint Catherine of Siena, who starved herself to death and subsisted on leper scabs, is highlighted as an extreme example of this phenomenon.
Cognition vs. Emotion [57:22]
The lecture explores the conflict between cognition and emotion in religion, noting that faith is a virtue in religion but a vice in science. It discusses how people seek causality and agency, especially in times of stress. Studies show that more religious people are more likely to see illusory patterns. Stress and learned helplessness also increase the likelihood of perceiving patterns in random data.
Superstitious Conditioning [1:02:23]
The lecture references Skinner's work on superstitious conditioning, where pigeons develop rituals based on random food deliveries. Similarly, humans seek explanations and agency, with deities providing a framework for understanding and managing the world. The lecture discusses the evolution from gods with human-like appetites to the unknowable God, which allows individuals to project their own needs and beliefs.
Temporal Lobe Personality [1:08:37]
The lecture introduces temporal lobe personality, a profile associated with temporal lobe epilepsy. Features include loss of humor, perseveration, neophobia, a "sticky" personality, hypergraphia, and an obsession with religious philosophy. The lecture shares an anecdote about neurologist Norman Geschwind and a patient with temporal lobe epilepsy who, despite claiming to be non-religious, was obsessed with religious philosophy.
Genes and Ecology [1:14:26]
The lecture addresses the genetic and ecological aspects of religious belief. It dismisses the idea of specific genes for religiosity, emphasizing that religiosity is an emergent property of a complex brain. The rapid decline in religiosity in Scandinavian countries demonstrates the strong influence of social context. The lecture also discusses how ecological factors, such as desert versus rainforest environments, and societal complexity influence religious beliefs.
Evolution of Religiosity [1:19:46]
The lecture explores the evolution of religiosity at both individual and group levels. Religious belief is generally good for health, providing explanations for the inexplicable and fostering a sense of community. At the group level, religious groups serve as examples of cultural green beards, promoting cooperation among co-religionists. David Sloan Wilson's analysis of the evolution and extinction of religions in Swiss cantons is presented as an example of group selection.
Conclusion [1:23:47]
The lecture concludes by reiterating that it does not suggest that religious people are crazy or psychiatrically suspect. It emphasizes that the biology of holding onto faith and losing faith are equally interesting. The lecture reflects on how biological factors can lead individuals to the same conclusions about religion and purpose as those reached through years of personal struggle.