Research Article Neural Markers of Religious Conviction

ABSTRACT—Many people derive peace ofmind and purpose in life from their belief in God. For others, however, religion provides unsatisfying answers. Are there brain differences between believers and nonbelievers? Here we show that religious conviction is marked by reduced reactivity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a cortical system that is involved in the experience of anxiety and is important for self-regulation. In two studies, we recorded electroenceph-alographic neural reactivity in the ACC as participants completed a Stroop task. Results showed that stronger religious zeal and greater belief in Godwere associatedwith less firing of the ACC in response to error and with com-mission of fewer errors. These correlations remained strong even after we controlled for personality and cognitive ability. These results suggest that religious conviction pro