Researchers in York used magnetic stimulation to target an area of the brain called the medial frontal cortex in a group of volunteers. A control group received a sham treatment.
Both groups were asked to think about death. The group who experienced the magnetic energy reported 32.8% less belief in angels, god and heaven.
When faced with difficult challenges people often take refuge in ideology. By shutting down this specific area of the brain participants were less likely to reach for the comfort of religious ideas to solve their problems.
The following observation was interesting in the context of trying to help JW friends are relatives...
We think that hearing criticisms of your group’s values, perhaps especially from a person you perceive as an outsider, is processed as an ideological sort of threat,” said Izuma.
“One way to respond to such threats is to ‘double down’ on your group values, increasing your investment in them, and reacting more negatively to the critic,” he said.
“When we disrupted the brain region that usually helps detect and respond to threats, we saw a less negative, less ideologically motivated reaction to the critical author and his opinions,” he said.
Interesting that all that certainty about god can be switched off by a magnet on your forehead!