The Neuroscience of Religious Experiences: Andrew Newberg LIVE on Big Think

A pioneer of neurotheology, Dr. Andrew Newberg uses fMRI and other neuroscientific tools to study religious experiences in the brain. He has the rare distinction of having studied Franciscan nuns and Tibetan monks in his lab. In this interview, originally broadcast live on Big Think on May 3, 2012, Dr. Newberg discusses the relationship between brain function and mysticism with Big Think Associate Editor Megan Erickson. 

For a more insight into Newberg’s research, check out How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist, Why God Wont Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief, and The Mystical Mind: Probing the Biology of Religious Experience, which won the award for Outstanding Books in Theology and the Natural Sciences.

Edited / Produced by Jonathan Fowler and Elizabeth Rodd

Interviewed by Megan Erickson