Posted on 09/25/2004 8:38:30 PM PDT by CarrotAndStick
NEW DELHI: Modern science tells us that love is essentially a chemical phenomenon. All the things you feel when you're in love can be explained by the presence of certain chemicals — say, phenyl ethylamine which is associated with a feeling of bliss, or oxytocin which is found to be high in breast-feeding mothers.
While research on the subject is still not conclusive, there are suggestions that religious and spiritual experiences, too, might be built into the complex circuitry of our brains. At least that's what research in two American universities appears to indicate.
Research at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and the University of California, San Francisco, on Buddhist monks showed that parts of the brain dealing with positive emotions and self-control were more active, while those associated with memory of fear were relatively calmer, leading researchers to believe that Buddhist monks who appear happy and calm are genuinely so.
To take the research further, Andrew Newburg, a radiologist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, scanned the brains of Buddhist monks and Franciscan nuns in meditation or prayer and the results were fascinating.
First, the prefrontal cortex - or the part of the brain dealing with positive emotions - was seething with activity. The parietal lobes showed very little activity.
What are parietal lobes? These lobes are part of the cerebrum and are associated with two functions, the orientation of the body in space and the perception of space and time.
So the findings of this study are saying, having God in your life brings you happiness?
I didn't need a study to figure that one out! :-)
I lobe you, man. < |:)~
There they go again, trying to put down religion.
So, after spending millions in Federal grant money, we have proven that that dogs are onto something with all of the butt and crotch sniffing?
You are seriously sick, dude. : )
On the other hand, your pic proves my argument (to anyone who will listen) that there are few topics that don't benefit by a reference to Star Trek.
Thank you for your list of "Lassez Faire" Books. I have bookmarked it to peruse later. I have only read "Atlas Shrugged" and have reread it many times. I am so grateful to have another reading list. Thanks again, Norski.
No problemo.
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