Existential givens, religion, and neuroscience

Abstract

Religion has accompanied humankind since its dawn because it addresses existential givens of life related to mortality, isolation, freedom, and meaning. In this chapter, I hope to provide fresh insights into the neural processes related to these existential givens and the modulatory role of religion. Broadly speaking, religion seems to modulate existential givens by (1) attenuating conflict processing, (2) providing a good balance between too much and too little freedom, (3) compensating for isolation using the imagined presence of others, and (4) providing meaning via eudaimonic goal striving.