[@hubermanlab] Science & Health Benefits of Belief in God & Religion | Dr. David DeSteno

Link: https://youtu.be/Whe2Jh9q6jI

Short Summary

Here's the requested information:

• Most Important Takeaway: Engaging with religious practices, not just belief, demonstrably improves mental and physical well-being, offering tangible benefits such as reduced mortality, anxiety, and increased feelings of meaning.

• Executive Summary: Dr. Denno discusses the compatibility of science and religion, highlighting the data-backed benefits of religious practices on mental and physical health. He emphasizes that engaging in religious practices, regardless of belief in God, often leads to better outcomes, and the benefits arise from a combination of community, mind-body practices like prayer, and the cultivation of positive emotions like gratitude.

Key Quotes

Here are five direct quotes from the transcript that I found particularly insightful:

1. "I'm happy to say as a scientist, I see no empirical evidence that God exists. But without being able to run an experiment to prove it, it's beyond the realm of science. And all it does is polarize us, right?" - This quote captures the core argument that the existence of God is not a question that science can definitively answer, emphasizing the limitations of scientific inquiry.

2. "Epidemiological data show that people who engage with religion, not just say I believe in God, but actually engage with faith over a 15 to 20 year period, it cuts all told all cause mortality by 30%. Cuts death due to cancer and cardiovascular vascular disease by 25%. Reduces anxiety and depression. Increases people's sense of meaning and feeling that their life is flourishing." - This quote presents striking data supporting the tangible health benefits of religious engagement, prompting further exploration of the mechanisms at play.

3. "For me, I think let's not do that. You know, when we talk about these practices, how they lead to health and well-being, I can't tell you if they are divinely inspired from a creator who cares about its creations and kind of gave them a road map or a user's guide to make life better or if they're cultural adaptations of people figuring stuff out over millennia. But we don't need to answer that to have respect for them and to study how they work and to see what we can learn from them. And if we're not willing to do that, we're slowing down the science of human flourishing in my view." - This quote emphasizes the importance of studying religious practices scientifically, regardless of their origin, for their potential to improve human well-being, thus encouraging an open-minded approach to the science of religion.

4. "Rituals are like sophisticated packages of life hacks where a life hack is like playing a single note on a piano. A ritual is like a symphony." - This quote beautifully illustrates the multi-faceted and holistic nature of rituals, portraying them as complex mind-body practices that can profoundly impact individuals and communities.

5. "What I believe, um, if there is a God, I believe that it's a God who would care for all of God's creatures, that there wouldn't be one religion that is right. And what I've seen in enough different faith, the ones that that have lasted a while and um meet people's needs, is that they provide ways to live better lives." - This quote offers a perspective that promotes interfaith harmony and respect for diverse spiritual paths.

Detailed Summary

Here is a detailed summary of the YouTube video transcript you provided, in bullet points:

• Introduction:

  • Dr. Andrew Huberman introduces Dr. David Denno, a professor of psychology at Northeastern University, specializing in the science of morality, religion, and the health benefits of faith.
  • The discussion aims to explore the compatibility of science and religion/belief in God, a topic often viewed as mutually exclusive.
  • Dr. Denno will discuss the brain mechanisms that often lead people to embrace faith in God and religion.
  • The conversation is framed as important, especially in the context of evolving AI and social media.

• Compatibility of Science and Belief in God:

  • Dr. Denno argues that the question "Does God exist?" is not a useful scientific question, as it cannot be empirically proven or disproven. Science relies on manipulating variables, which is impossible with the concept of God.
  • Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence regarding God's existence.
  • He emphasizes that his approach is to study the benefits of religion and faith in an unbiased way.
  • He points out that many, such as Francis Collins, see no conflict between science and faith, viewing science as a way to understand God's creation.
  • Denno is more interested in data demonstrating that engaging with religion improves people's lives.

• Creation vs. Evolution & Origins of the Universe:

  • He notes the endless debate between creationism and evolution, emphasizing that attempting to peel back layers of argument to find an answer is futile.
  • Rationality of Belief: He suggests Pascal's Wager as a rational argument for belief, stating that the potential for everlasting life outweighs earthly pleasures.
  • Engaging in religion has shown epidemiological data that decreases all cause mortality by 30%. Decrease in anxiety and depression as well.
  • He points out the evidence, not only from community, but practices that occur when engaging in religion result in better health.

• Health Benefits of Religious Engagement:

  • Dr. Denno cites research showing that religious engagement correlates with lower all-cause mortality, reduced cancer and cardiovascular disease deaths, and decreased anxiety and depression.
  • He mentions Tyler VanderWeele's longitudinal studies from Harvard showing that the health benefits extend beyond just community, but to specific practices.
  • Religious community provides larger effect sizes to one's health than a bowling club does.
  • Benefits are observed across different religions.

• Russell's Teapot and Overbelief:

  • The concept of Russell's Teapot (burden of proof lies on the one making the unfalsifiable claim) is discussed.
  • Dr. Denno presents William James' concept of "overbelief," a belief lacking evidence but feels right and leads to positive outcomes, making it rational to embrace.
  • Ross Douthat's book, Believe, the finetuning argument is brought up but ultimately concludes that the last step of belief is the element of faith.
  • The practices in religions leading to health and well-being can either be divinely inspired or are cultural adaptations over the millennia.

• Religiospecting:

  • Religiospecting is discussed, or going back into these traditions to study the practices in terms of the scientific method.

• Specific Religious Practices and Their Benefits:

  • A study by Paul Condon found that meditation significantly increased compassionate behavior (helping someone in pain).
  • The practice of meditation also was found to decrease anger and the will to cause harm and punishment.
  • Prayer, especially formalized prayer, reduces respiration rate, increases exhalations, increases veagal tone, reduces heart rate, and puts the body in a state of openness to socialization.
  • Even praying about negative issues can be beneficial if the body is told it's safe.

• Rituals and Mind-Body Practices:

  • Rituals are sophisticated mind-body practices and can have more sophisticated packages.
  • Mourning Rituals: These rituals typically involve eulogizing the deceased, which helps consolidate positive memories. Mirror covering in Shiva is to intensify a sad mood.
  • Motor Synchrony: moving your body in synchrony can bring a cue to the mind that people are joined.

• Grieving Rituals Across Religions:

  • Eulogizing occurs across faiths. Shiva Jewish ritual involves motor synchrony and compassion.
  • Irish Wakes: can involve covering mirrors (keeping bad spirits away).
  • Chinese culture of mourning includes the practice of burning "ghost money," paper cell phones, and sending them to their ancestors.

• Belief, Faith, and Engagement:

  • In many parts of the world, religion is defined by what you do as opposed to what you believe.
  • Studies show formal prayer combined with singing and scripture shows a synergism.
  • Psychedelics have traditionally been taken in a religious ceremony so people can feel safe. About 25% of psychedelic journeys are bad, 8% need some type of health intervention.

• Good and Evil:

  • Moral behavior varies more than we think and we like to think of ourselves as good. When we are caught doing wrong, it feels like something came over us.
  • Evolution is not to be saints, but adaptive to reproduce and pass on genetic material, which is why we want to be seen as good.
  • Humans are not evolved to be saints or sinners, but adaptable.
  • Religious people engage in fewer things such as cheating when it is done at a temple vs. at a restaurant.
  • When counting your blessings, it makes people willing to be honest, generous, patient. Religion cultivate emotion and puts body in a better state.

• Loneliness and Belief in God:

  • Religious people report much less loneliness. Community helps build deeper social bonds and God gives sense of being there for one.
  • Loneliness vs. Being Alone: There can be connection in believing that God has your back. He/She/It is always there as a 3:00am friend.
  • There can also be a feeling of God's presence or feeling that it is obvious.

• Intelligent Design and the Complexity of the Eye:

  • The complexity of the eye is often cited as an argument for intelligent design.
  • While Dr. Denno does not believe in intelligent design, he acknowledges that the scientific method was one of the greatest discoveries.
  • The feeling of awe by natural beauty is related. People have more probability that there is something beyond when feeling awe.
  • Scientifically you cannot prove it so it always comes down to faith.

• Time Perception and Connecting to the Past:

  • Many religions have practices that help reconcile the need to feel present while connecting individuals to something larger than themselves.
  • Orthodox Judaism, as an example, uses Hebrew that is said thousands of years back. This shows that people faced the same thing as you face.

• Higher Power and Addiction Recovery:

  • The need for a higher power is a key component of 12-step programs for addiction. Acceptance of limitations, intellectual humility.
  • One will to help change is needed, but so is to give over power.

• New Religions and Cults:

  • 100-200 new religions are found each year, but most are flash in a pan. For religion to stick, it needs to address some type of need.
  • While religions are on the decline, people are seeking new ways to be spiritual such as at Burning Man, where individuals report a sense of self-transcending and being more pro-social.

• The Line Between Cults and New Religions:

  • Cults have personality worship and someone who believes they are special. Can also lead to exploitation.
  • Religious practices can be spiritual technologies. These can be used for good or evil depending on who is using.
  • Being threatened can be used to justify aggression.
  • Each day life is ephemeral to look into things that lead to happiness.

• Belief in Afterlife and Fear of Death:

  • Religious beliefs regarding the afterlife can reduce fear of death, especially when one is certain they are going to a better place. Uncertainty leads to greatest fear of death.
  • Some faiths ask to contemplate death on ash Wednesday.

• The Branding of Religions:

  • The branding of religious traditions is very important in drawing individuals.
  • By increasing community for those who are part of your religion, you increase the distance from those that are not in that circle.

• Personal Reflections:

  • Denno describes himself as being on a journey to figure out his belief system after leaving the Catholic church.

• Closing Remarks:

  • Dr. Huberman thanked Dr. Denno for his teachings. The conversation reinforced the importance of asking questions, a good amount of these being scary.

I hope this summary is helpful!