Why We Believe What We Believe

Why We Believe What We Believe:

Probing the Biology of Religious Experience with Dr. Andrew Newberg
(AUDIO MP3 DOWNLOAD)

Dr. Andrew Newberg

A Powerful SHOCKteleconference from the Author of Why God Won’t Go Away and Featured Scientist in What the Bleep Do We Know; Dr. Andrew Newberg Answers the Question: Why We Believe What We Believe!

Why do we believe what we believe? Everything we understand about the world is ultimately a belief. But beliefs can be constructive or destructive. We will show how to evaluate beliefs and how we can work toward being a better believer by developing and holding those beliefs that are the most constructive. Supported by groundbreaking research, including brain scans of people as they pray, meditate, and speak in tongues, Why We Believe What We Believe will change the way we look at the world… and ourselves.

Proposing a new model for how beliefs emerge and evolve, Newberg and Waldman structure the book in three parts: the origin of beliefs, the biological evidence of their influence on our brains, and their use in our lives. Once we understand the differences between knowledge and belief, faith and truth, destructive and constructive beliefs, we can then guard against mental traps, falsities, and wrong thinking. User-friendly examples, like optical illusions and the beliefs of those with psychological disorders, demonstrate how the brain constructs beliefs about reality, and the authors offer prescriptive recommendations for developing a more affirming belief system.

Dr. Newberg says, “Beliefs are based on four key components - perceptions, emotions, cognitions, and social interactions - which are also deeply interconnected. These components all intersect in the workings of the human brain, which enables us to have all of our beliefs. Our beliefs begin to develop the moment that we are born and we are pre-programmed to believe in certain ways. However, these ways are shaped by everything we think, feel, and experience over our lifetime. But the brain also requires beliefs in order for us to survive. We need to hold beliefs about how the world works throughout our entire life. We need to expect certain things to happen such as a person being nice to us if we are nice to them. But we can also have beliefs about meaning and purpose in life, about religion, and about the deep complexities of the universe. Because our beliefs are so important to our survival, we have a tendency to hold those beliefs very strongly, even when presented with opposing opinions or facts. But the brain is also capable of changing beliefs if we are open to new ideas and respect the beliefs of others.”

Topics Discussed:

• Why do we believe what we believe?
• Are there constructive and destructive beliefs?
• The Neuroscientific Study of Religious and Spiritual Phenomena: Or Why God Doesn’t Use Biostatistics
• The Biology of Belief
• The Chemical Composition of Beliefs and Ideas
• How speaking in tongues involves unidentified language centers in the brain and how it allows practitioners to form new perceptions of God
• Why a highly unusual asymmetry exists in the brains of people who intensely pray or mediate
• How different forms of prayer effect different parts of the brain and lead the practitioner to form fundamentally different beliefs
• Why angry, hostile, and anxious beliefs are “bad” for the emotional and memory-processing structures in the brain and why optimistic beliefs are “better” for both the body and the brain
• Why children biologically begin to reject religious beliefs in adolescence
• How spiritual practices and human interaction can change the brain’s naturally immoral state

What People Are Saying About
Why We Believe What We Believe

“I love this book. As cultures collide in our newly connected global existence, I can think of nothing more important than helping people understand the origin, nature, and sheer danger of their beliefs. Why We Believe What We Believe should be required reading for every person, young and old, who has the courage to open his or her mind and explore the biological basis of belief.”"
—Sandra Blakeslee, award-winning science writer and co-author of On Intelligence and Phantoms in the Brain

“Here is a book that seeks not to dismiss or ignore our will to believe, but instead explores why believing—even secular beliefs—is such a necessary and ‘hardwired’ aspect of being human. Newberg and Waldman bring an immense scientific learning to this compelling work of immense clarity. Why We Believe What We Believe is certainly the best scientific statement yet on the will to believe.”"
—Stephen G. Post, PhD, Professor of Bioethics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, author of Unlimited Love and President, Institute for Research on Unlimited Love—Altruism, Compassion, Service

“Why believe what you read—or hear, or think? This intriguing book offers insights into how we can constructively question our beliefs in a way that expands our minds with deeper insights into others, and ourselves. Offering a wide-ranging discussion of beliefs—from the insights gleaned from brain studies of transcendent experiences to explorations of perceptual distortions—the authors walk us through an adventure in thinking that is sure to raise as many questions as it answers in its illuminating discussions.”"
—Daniel J. Siegel, MD, author of Mindsight, Our Seventh Sense, and The Developing Mind and faculty, The Center for Culture, Brain, and Development, UCLA

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