Spirituality

Spirituality linked to lower depression risk

By T.K. Randall
December 31, 2013

Image: Bible
Credit: John Snyder / CC BY-SA 3.0 (adapted) Religious belief has long been thought to offer psychological benefits, but now researchers have discovered that spirituality can also offer protection for individuals with a high risk of depression.

The study involved comparing the brains of people for whom spirituality was important with those who did not hold any spiritual beliefs. The results indicated that the brain's outer layer, the cortex, was thicker in high risk patients who subscribed to spiritual beliefs than it was in those who didn't."Our beliefs and our moods are reflected in our brain and with new imaging techniques we can begin to see this," said psychiatry and epidemiology professor Myrna Weissman. "The brain is an extraordinary organ. It not only controls, but is controlled by our moods."

While the research does not indicate that the thicker brain region produces a higher tendency to hold religious beliefs, it does suggest that holding such beliefs can provide a physical, measurable resilience against depressive illness.

Source: Yahoo! News

Tags: Religion, Spirituality, Brain