On its face value, the science of spirituality seems like a contradiction of terms. We tend to think of science as factual and objective and spirituality as only subjective and experiential. Yet science is not only a discipline but at its core, a mode of thinking. Thinking like a scientist means having awareness of the limits of our understanding, being willing to question what we know, being curious about what we don’t know, and updating our views based on new data. Thinking like a scientist means being actively open-minded and searching for new understanding of truth.
Thinking like a scientist requires what has been called confident humility, which means we are confident in our capabilities to learn and grow while appreciating that we don’t have all the answers and may not even be addressing the right questions. Arrogance is rooted in certainty, convictions that may be based in ignorance without a willingness to question and revise our beliefs or our positions on issues. Arrogance leaves us blind to our weaknesses. Great thinkers, on the other hand, understand that we are all partially blind. They don’t boast about how much they know but marvel at how little they understand.
I recently finished reading two books that illustrate the benefits of thinking like a scientist and how this mode can help us understand more about life and our faith and how to evolve spiritually. The first book, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know, by Adam Grant describes the process, challenges and advantages of thinking like a scientist. He calls it the ability to rethink and unlearn, which can help us generate new solutions to old problems. He acknowledges that this is not easy, however, especially regarding our spirituality and beliefs. He notes that reconsidering something we believe deeply can threaten our identities, making it feel like we’re losing a part of ourselves.
For many of us, our religion and beliefs are mingled with or are the foundation of how we know and define ourselves. When a core belief is questioned, we tend to shut down rather than open-up. What we believe often depends on what we want to believe and for many of us, rethinking does not come naturally. Thinking like a scientist is a developmental skill, committed to the pursuit of truth and, in humility, embracing mystery. In the language of integral philosophy this is the growth through the Amber/ethnocentric level of black and white thinking, into the Orange/world-centric level of possibility thinking. We can all improve at thinking again if we want to and perhaps the world would be a better place if everyone put on scientist goggles a little more often.
In the book, The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life, psychologist and author Lisa Miller, PhD, applies the scientist mode of thinking directly to religion and spirituality. She reviews and participates in research that asks open-minded questions about spirituality, sets up hypotheses, runs experiments to test them and then refines beliefs based on new data. One type of research involves epidemiological studies, which are studies of health-related questions and conditions within populations, often utilizing various questionnaires to gather data on specific issues, such as spirituality and health. Another type of research has been in neuroscience, using various types of brain scans to explore the physiological impacts of personal spiritual beliefs and practices.
One example is a study done by researchers including Kenneth Kendler, M.D., a foremost leader in psychiatric epidemiology in twin studies, on the relationship between religion, spirituality, and various psychiatric symptoms. The authors of this study concluded:
- High levels of personal devotion and spirituality are correlated with lower levels of depression.
- While personal spirituality may or may not be practiced within a faith tradition, the protective benefits come from spirituality – a deeply felt connection with a higher power or a sacred world.
- It’s possible that we are built to be spiritual and that it might be a fundamental and necessary part of our human inheritance that contributes to mental health.
Dr. Miller notes that contemporary psychology tends to view spirituality and religion just as a crutch and a set of comforting beliefs. However, the neuroscience research, examining MRI and fMRI brain scans show some interesting results:
- The brains of people with a high sense of spirituality are healthier and more robust. They are thicker and stronger in the same regions that weaken and wither in depressed brains.
- Those brains at higher risk for depression may be more responsive to spirituality, resulting in greater enrichment and strength.
- Show spiritual practices have a positive effect on the brain across faith traditions and in those who say they are just spiritual.
Dr. Miller concludes that these studies show that spirituality is an awareness for which all our brains are wired and that, long-term, the spiritually engaged brain is a healthier brain. This also suggests that we all have a spiritual part of the brain that we can engage anywhere, at any time. Engagement is a matter of choice, and we can train our brains to be more awake and spiritually engaged through many kinds of religious and spiritual practices and reap the overall benefits, here and now in this lifetime.
One way to cultivate a more spiritually engaged brain is by developing what Dr. Miller calls a quest orientation. The questing brain integrates our achieving and awakened awareness. Achieving awareness gives us a sense of control and purpose as we focus on goals and how to attain what we want and need. Awakened awareness makes use of a different part of brain and we literally see more, integrating information from multiple sources of perception. We tune into what life may be showing us and see ourselves as a seeker of truth. We still have desires and goals, still experience disappointment and hurt, but we lean into the flow of life, noting where doors open and close. A quest orientation encourages us to search for answers to meaningful personal and existential questions and to keep an open mind and heart.
Dr. Miller believes that a quest orientation taps into the core dimensions of spirituality, which she describes as awakened attention, awakened connection, and awakened heart. Awakened attention involves practicing mindfulness and noticing things like synchronicities and being open to renewal. Awakened connection is appreciating that we are in relationships; with our ancestors, our loved ones, our higher selves, and our higher power. It is about creating a state of unitive love between people. Having an awakened heart means we have learned to resonate with all of nature on earth. We can share and feel spiritual experiences at a deep level, across the lines of various faith traditions, because we are all built with the same foundational spiritual brain. It is deep in our nature, in our brains, inside us.
Rethinking and maintaining a quest orientation invites complexity and nuance, discovery and openness. It is having the courage to define oneself as a person committed to the pursuit of truth – even if it means proving yourself or your beliefs wrong. This helps us avoid the trap of all or nothing thinking which says I must accept all of what I have been taught and learned within my religion or reject all of it. This type of openness may be especially difficult for those of us who grew up in shame-based, fundamentalist systems, feeling unworthy of love and forgiveness unless we conformed to the beliefs and behaviors imposed on us.
But life invites us to continue learning, growing and evolving. There are stages beyond the Orange, scientific mode of thinking that are more inclusive and wholistic, but the growth through an Amber/ethnocentric level to an Orange/world-centric level is critical and cannot be bypassed. Some people decide to leave their religion at this stage, and some of those explore other types of spirituality. Others find ways to resolve and transcend shame, maintain and include the core truths of their religion as they also embrace new, open-hearted, awakened awareness within their faith tradition. Regardless of what we may decide regarding our church, religion, or faith tradition, developing an open, awakened mind and heart unlocks deeper and richer experiences of spiritual joy.
Therapy Tip
Personal and spiritual growth can be exciting and sometimes frightening. As with any challenge you may face, it is always important to slow down and be present to yourself; noticing your thoughts, the stories you are telling yourself, what emotions you are feeling, and how your body is reacting. This may help you to meditate, pray, and wait for a sense of guidance from within.
Developmental rethinking skills require the willingness to challenge yourself, to feel uncomfortable and to practice. Adam Grant offers several practical ways to practice these skills:
- Think like a scientist. When you start to form an opinion, treat it as a hypothesis and test it with data and then adjust as you learn.
- Define your identity in terms of values, not opinions. It is easier to avoid getting stuck to your past beliefs if you don’t become attached to them or see them as your present self-concept. See yourself instead as someone who values learning, flexibility, and searching for knowledge.
- Seek out information that goes against your views. You can fight confirmation bias and escape echo chambers by actively engaging with people who have ideas and opinions that challenge your assumptions.
- Harness the benefits of doubt. When you find yourself doubting your views or abilities, reframe the situation as an opportunity for growth. Knowing what you don’t know is often the first step toward evolving to a higher level.
- Embrace the joy of being wrong. When you find out you’ve been wrong or made a mistake, take it as a sign that you’ve discovered something new. It helps if you can laugh at yourself and focus less on proving yourself and more on improving yourself.