What can the study of biology tell us about religion? Here we examine this question by bringing the most recent articles that explore the biological basis of the phenomenon of religion. Recent advances in the brain imaging techniques and computational biology are making it possible for scholars across the spectrum, from neuroscience to philosophy, to further our understanding of human religiosity.
Given the great diversity of what people understand by the term religion, it is often easier to describe specific religions than to satisfactorily define the term. At this site, we have divided the current research into two major clickable categories: Individual and Group. The individual category focuses mainly on neurobiological studies of spirituality, while the group category brings together articles from behavioral, computational, and socio-biology in one place.
Finally, the clickable link Synthesis takes you to a review of the current literature on this topic.
Project coordinated by Dr. Suchismita Sen of the Pennsylvania State University Religious Studies Department.