Thinking about God activates the same brain regions as mind perception

Evidence

A third class of evidence more directly probes the brain networks that are recruited when people are thinking about God. If mental representations of God are rooted in ordinary mind perception, then the same brain networks that are involved when people think about the minds of other people should also become active when people think about the mind of God. Neuroimaging studies show exactly that: among Christian believers in the United States and in Denmark, thinking about or praying to God activates brain regions associated with ordinary mind perception. — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 78

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 78
• XREF: connects to: Belief in gods emerges from ordinary cognition, not dedicated brain machinery — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 131; Belief in gods depends on an intuitive mind-body dualism — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 574