Religious People Have More "thickness" Brains?
Religious People Have More "thickness"? Brains
The researchers said that thick brain can help fight depression . " Trust and the mood reflected in the brain and new imaging techniques can reveal this, " said study researcher Myrna Weissman, professor of psychiatry and epidemiology at Columbia University .
According to him, the brain is a remarkable organ, not just control, but is also controlled by the mood . The study, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry revealed a relationship between the thickness of the brain and spirituality, but people who have thicker brain is not necessarily cause them to become religious .
Previously, the researchers found that religious people have a lower risk of depression Yag than those who do not . They also revealed that people who suffer from depression experience a thinning of the cerebral cortex . That might be the reason why people with thicker brains are better protected from depression .
In the new study, the researchers asked 103 adults, aged 18-54 years about how important religiosity and spirituality for them, and how often they come to a place of worship during the last five years . Then, researchers conducted brain scans on the participants to determine the thickness of their cerebral cortex .
Participants who were included in the study consisted of children to the elderly who are already in the phase of the initial level of depression . Some of them also have a history of depression in a family that considered vulnerable have the disorder .
The researchers found that people who consider spirituality important to have a thicker cerebral cortex . The relationship was strongest in those who have a high risk of depression .
" After that, we need to see stability. Then we took a lot of pictures of the brain to see the size korteksnya that may change with spirituality, " said Weissman is also the head of the department of clinical genetic epidemiology at the New York State Psychiatric Institute.
