Many of us have had the experience of trying to share our knowledge of the dark side of the Watchtower with those we love, only to have it end badly with the person getting deeply upset and refusing to believe any of it. A new study might shed some light on the problem. This brain study looked at what happens when someone's belief system is challenged. What is it that makes people emotional and angry when their beliefs are challenged?
The MRIs showed that the parts of the brain that were triggered control deep, emotional thoughts about personal identity.
“When people activate these emotional structures of the brain more, when they’re being challenged, they’re less likely to change their minds,” the professor explained.
This study used political beliefs to test subjects, but you could probably make a guess that the same thing happens when religious beliefs are challenged, possibly even more so, especially when it comes to someone in a religion like Jehovah's Witnesses. The reverse could also happen, I have read many stories of EX JWs who become emotional when they run into Jehovah's Witnesses, in fact when the JWs came to my door I was kind of shook up, although I had been away for years and was happy in my new life.
Full article here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mri-brain-study-usc-political-beliefs-challenged/