Brain scan of nuns finds no single “God spot” in the brain

CogNews mentions a study at the University of Montreal looking at what in the brain “lights up” when nuns think of God: “A new study at the Université de Montréal has concluded that there is no single God spot in the brain. In other words, mystical experiences are mediated by several brain regions and systems normally implicated in a variety of functions (self-consciousness, emotion, body representation).”

Seriously, can we stop giving grants to these people? Sometimes in the late ’90’s, someone decided that seeing what “lights up” in the brain when stuff happens is “hawt.” Now, I’m all for real neuroscience studies that use imaging data to infer brain function. In fact, that’s my own interest, basically. But looking at what in the brain “lights up” when nuns try to “relive a religious experience” or when “kids think of their mother” or whatever else and call it the “God spot” or the “Mom spot” is stupid. A great majority of these studies are a waste of $600 per scan or whatever it is for fMRI (more for PET and MEG).