Reflecting on God: Religious Primes Can Reduce Neurophysiological Response to Errors

Inzlicht, Michael; Tullett, Alexa M.

doi:10.1177/0956797610375451

Cited by 163Religion, Spirituality, and PsychologyStudy and Philosophy of ReligionReligion and Society Interactions

Reflecting on God: Religious Primes Can Reduce Neurophysiological Response to Errors

Inzlicht, Michael, Tullett, Alexa M.·2010·Psychological Science

DOI 10.1177/0956797610375451

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Abstract

The world is a vast and complex place that can sometimes generate feelings of uncertainty and distress for its inhabitants. Although religion is associated with a sense of meaning and order, it remains unclear whether religious belief can actually cause people to feel less anxiety and distress. To test the anxiolytic power of religion, we conducted two experiments focusing on the error-related negativity (ERN)—a neural signal that arises from the anterior cingulate cortex and is associated with defensive responses to errors. The results indicate that for believers, conscious and nonconscious religious primes cause a decrease in ERN amplitude. In contrast, priming nonbelievers with religious concepts causes an increase in ERN amplitude. Overall, examining basic neurophysiological processes reveals the power of religion to act as a buffer against anxious reactions to self-generated, generic errors—but only for individuals who believe.

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“Moreover religion has been shown to improve emotional regulation [45] and is associated with diminished conflict monitoring for stressful events [46].”
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Authors: Inzlicht, M., & Tullett, A. M.
Affiliations: University of Toronto Scarborough (CA)
Corresponding author: Inzlicht, Michael
ORCID: Inzlicht, Michael
Tullett, Alexa M.
Venue: Psychological Science
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2010-06-17
Volume: 21
Issue: 8
Pages: 1184-1190
ISSN: 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
1467-9280
DOI: 10.1177/0956797610375451
OpenAlex: W2101250831
Cited by: 163
References: 39
Citations by year: 2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 20
FWCI: 15.77
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations: Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Study and Philosophy of Religion
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Religion and Society Interactions
Keywords: religious beliefs, anxiety, error-related negativity, anterior cingulate cortex, religious priming
MeSH terms: Anxiety, Electroencephalography, Evoked Potentials, Female, Humans, Male, Religion, Religion and Psychology, Stress, Psychological, Young Adult

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Reflecting on God: Religious Primes Can Reduce Neurophysiological Response to Errors

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