Autonomous neural network activation during religious worship experiences using heart rate variability measurements

Walter, Yoshija; Altorfer, Andreas

doi:10.1080/2153599x.2023.2217238

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 98 publications

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“…The importance of religiosity to chill intensity in our sample provides further evidence for the link between religious experiences and autonomic activation. The perception of religious experiences or presences has been linked to sympathetic nervous system activation (Berntson, et al, 2008;Seybold, 2007;Walter & Altorfer, 2023). Notably, research in Parkinson's disease has highlighted the importance of right hemispheric functional connectivity between semantic, reward, and interoceptive regions as being specifically important for religiosity and the ability to be moved by spiritual experiences, whereas patients with right hemisphere-onset Parkinson's have strong decreases in religiosity compared to left hemisphere-onset (Butler et al, 2010;Butler, et al, 2011;Morgan, et al, 2016).…”

Section: ) Discussion and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual Differences in Aesthetic Experience Point to the Role of Bodily Awareness in Political Orientation

Christov-Moore,

Schoeller,

Vaccaro

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Aesthetic chills are a peak emotion characterized by shivers down the spine and goosebumps in response to salient stimuli such as music, speech, or films. In a previous study exposing a large number of Southern California participants (n=2947) to pre-validated audiovisual stimuli, we observed a strong correlation between the intensity of self-reported chills and political orientation, with more conservative participants reporting more intense chills (despite no difference in chills likelihood). We performed this current, pre-registered, follow-up study to examine whether this correlation was due to religiosity (which frequently accompanies conservatism, particularly in the USA), and/or being among a cultural minority (conservative within a largely progressive/liberal context), by assaying demographically matched diverse populations in California (n=620) and central Texas (n=262) with identical stimuli. We also tested for differences in interoceptive awareness via the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) scale, based on evidence for a link between conservatism and disgust sensitivity. We found that the originally observed negative correlation between the intensity of chills and political conservatism was replicated in two locations, however, this relationship appears to be underlied by religiosity and interoceptive awareness, as well as mood prior to stimulus exposure and does not appear to be a function of the political make-up of the locations (or minority political status). This study lends novel nuance to our understanding of the relationship between political orientations, religiosity, interoceptive awareness, and engagement with emotional stimuli.

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Section: ) Discussion and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual Differences in Aesthetic Experience Point to the Role of Bodily Awareness in Political Orientation

Christov-Moore,

Schoeller,

Vaccaro

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Artificial Intelligence’s Novel “Mind-Reading” Capabilities through Neuroscience: A Challenge for Mind–Body Dualism?

Walter

2024

J. AI. Consci.

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This paper explores a philosophical problem at the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence (AI), and the potential impact of these novel AI “mind-reading” technologies on various forms of mind–body dualism, including substance, interaction, property, predicate, and emergent dualisms. It critically examines how AI’s ability to interpret and predict mental states from neural patterns challenges traditional dualistic theories, which have historically posited distinct relationships between the mind and body. The paper analyzes each dualistic theory in the context of AI advancements. Substance and interaction dualisms are scrutinized for their claims of mind–body independence and causal interaction, respectively, in light of AI’s capabilities to correlate mental and physical states. Property dualism’s assertion of unique mental properties emerging from physical processes is tested against AI’s potential to map mental phenomena to brain activity. Predicate dualism’s linguistic and conceptual distinction between mental and physical realms is challenged by AI’s ability to bridge these domains. Similarly, emergent dualism, which views mental states as novel phenomena, confronts the possibility of their reduction to physical brain processes. Despite these challenges, the paper argues for the adaptability of dualistic theories to integrate AI insights, suggesting a re-evaluation rather than a negation of dualism. It highlights the enduring relevance of philosophical inquiry into the nature of consciousness and mind–body relationships in the age of AI, suggesting that such technological advancements invigorate rather than terminate the philosophical debate.

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Autonomous neural network activation during religious worship experiences using heart rate variability measurements

Cited by 2 publications

References 98 publications

Individual Differences in Aesthetic Experience Point to the Role of Bodily Awareness in Political Orientation

Individual Differences in Aesthetic Experience Point to the Role of Bodily Awareness in Political Orientation

Artificial Intelligence’s Novel “Mind-Reading” Capabilities through Neuroscience: A Challenge for Mind–Body Dualism?

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