LONDON, ENGLAND, September 29, 2008: Can one’s faith in God really ease pain? “Yes”, say scientists at Oxford University, based on a recent experiment.
The scientists subjected 12 Roman Catholics and 12 atheists to painful electric shocks as they studied two paintings–the Virgin Mary and a somewhat similar painting by Leonardo da Vinci.
While looking at the Virgin Mary picture, the faithful reported feeling 12% less pain than when looking at the Leonardo. Using the latest brain-scanning techniques, the scientists discovered that these people were activating part of the brain associated with conditioning experience of pain. There was no such brain activity among the atheists, whose pain and anxiety levels stayed roughly the same.
The Catholics said that looking at the religious painting made them feel “safe”, “taken care of” and “calmed down and peaceful”.