How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality

The spiritual practice of speaking in tongues –a form of communication with the divine through speaking words in an unknown or unrecognizable language– has invited a lot of speculation and skepticism over the years. To many, it seems like the stuff of horror movies, or old-timey religious revivals. But charismatic Christianity, for which speaking in tongues is a central practice, is one of the fastest growing Christian movements in modern history.  So why has it not only persisted, but recently gained momentum? What exactly is happening to the mind and body when people engage in this practice? We’ll talk to anthropologist Josh Brahinsky about his years researching people taking part in this practice, why it’s far less rare and extreme than many people think, and how neuroscience is showing real changes in the brain that point to tongues as an effective method of prayer and even mindfulness. We’ll also talk to Shavon Gartrell about what it feels like to let go, drop in and give her tongue to God.Josh Brahinski has been studying charismatic communities for two decades. Find out about his forthcoming book Tongues of Fire: How Charismatic Prayer Changes Brains And Inspires Spirit-Filled Activism here, and read his academic publications here. Shavon Gartrell is a youth pastor at Glad Tidings Church in San Francisco.

What is prayer? And why do it? People pray for all kinds of reasons, and in all kinds of ways: alone, together, aloud, in silence, from memory, or from instinct. But whatever form it takes, there’s a reason prayer has been part of just about every spiritual tradition out there: its effects run deep. On this episode, we’re digging into the science and spirit of prayer. We’ll talk to neuroscientist Andrew Newberg about what prayer does to our minds and bodies, and how it helps shape us as people. And friend of the show Rabbi Shira Stutman will return to explore how people can find meaning, connection and growth through intentional practice, whatever their beliefs may be.Andrew Newberg is the director of research at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health and a physician at Jefferson University Hospital. He is the author of several books on the neuroscience of spirituality, including How God Changes Your Brain and The Rabbi’s Brain. Find out more about his work on his website.Shira Stutman is a nationally known faith-based leader and changemaker, currently serving as Senior Rabbi at Aspen Jewish Congregation. She is also co-host of the podcast Chutzpod and author of the book The Jewish Way to a Good Life: Find Happiness, Build Community, and Embrace Lovingkindness.

There's a lot of talk these days about a crisis of masculinity. But is it a genuine problem or just another culture war talking point? In this special episode, we’ll talk to writer and researcher Richard Reeves about the real and worrying data around the male struggle for meaning and purpose, and what role community and ritual can play in helping men find answers. We’ll also hear from Dr. Russell Moore and Pastor Rasool Berry about how and why religion can help support men, but also the dangers it can pose if they follow it down the wrong path. And we’ll hear directly from some young men about the challenges they’re facing around identity and the comfort they’re finding in Christian community and scripture.Richard Reeves is the president of the American Institute for Boys and Men and the author of the book Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It. Learn more about his work on his website. Dr. Russell Moore is a Christian theologian, pastor and the Editor in Chief of Christianity Today. Learn more about his work on his website. Rasool Berry is Teaching and Family Pastor at The Bridge Church and a leader of The Whole Man Project. Learn more about his work on his website.  Special thanks to Bennett Bullard, Clint Brown, Ben Chao, Mason Diab, Sean Enniss, Alex Leach, Baines Pierre, Ernst Lozin, and Dejan Zivkovic for sharing their stories of what it's like to be a man today with us.

For centuries, Western science and philosophy have struggled to explain what consciousness is and where it comes from. What if the answer to both those questions is: everything?On this episode, we dive into panpsychism: the idea that consciousness may not be limited to humans, or even living beings, but could be a basic property of reality itself. We’ll talk to philosopher Philip Goff about why this idea is gaining attention in academic circles, and to theologian Joanna Leidenhag about how panpsychism aligns with spiritual traditions from across cultures and throughout history. We’ll also ask: could this strange-sounding idea reshape how we understand ourselves and our place in the world?Philip Goff is a professor of Philosophy and the author of Why?: The Purpose of the Universe, Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness and many other publications about panpsychism. Find out more about his work on his website.Joanna Leidenhag is a professor of Theology and Philosophy and the author of the book Minding Creation: Theological Panpsychism and the Doctrine of Creation. Find out more about her work here.

People find faith or change faiths for many reasons: marriage, raising a family, dealing with  grief or crisis. But sometimes it happens the other way around… faith finds you. A believing takes hold, a sense that something divine is there. And maybe not in the way or role that you might have expected. It’s not uncommon. Data show that these types of experiences happen to about 30% of people. On this episode we’ll talk to one of these people –New York Times columnist and best selling author David Brooks– about his unexpected encounter with faith and what came after.Find out more about Weave: The Social Fabric Project, the non-profit David founded at the Aspen Institute.

Many would agree there are few things better than sharing a delicious meal with the people you love, which is one reason why breaking bread together is a cornerstone of religions the world over. But so too is the opposite - going without food.  From Ramadan to Yom Kippur to Lent, fasting is an important ritual in many faiths. But why do so many religions periodically take away the very thing that nourishes our bodies and souls?  On this episode we'll talk with Khalil-Abdur Rashid about the role fasting plays in Islam, and why not eating and drinking is actually the easy part.  And we'll talk to Adam Cohen about some new research that suggests even one day of fasting could help deepen religious commitment and overall well being.Imam Dr. Khalil Abdur-Rashid is the first full-time University Muslim Chaplain at Harvard University, Instructor of Muslim Studies at Harvard Divinity School, and Public Policy Lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.Adam Cohen is a Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University. Learn more about his research here. 

We often think of belief as a religious or cultural idea that is a hallmark of modern humans. But what if the early sparks of belief burned in our ancestors’ minds long before modern humans walked the earth? What if beliefs about some of the biggest questions out there, like what happens after death, weren’t just pondered by Homo sapiens?On this episode, evolutionary anthropologist Agustín Fuentes takes us on a journey spanning millions of years, from our primate relatives in the deep past to the complex spiritual and cultural traditions we know today. Along the way, we’ll learn how the capacity for belief has helped shape our species and why it remains a powerful force in our lives today.Agustín Fuentes is a Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University and the author of the books Why We Believe: Evolution and the Human Way of Being and The Creative Spark: How Imagination Made Humans Exceptional. Learn more about his work on his website, and be sure to check out his forthcoming book Sex is a Spectrum: The Biological Limits of the Binary, due out in May 2025. 

When it comes to finding happiness, many religions see marriage as the gold standard: a path to love, stability, and fulfillment. But is that really true? And if so, why are marriage rates plummeting in so many parts of the world?In this episode, we’ll talk to anthropologist Joseph Henrich about the surprising history of marriage and monogamy, including how these institutions helped lay the groundwork for much of our modern way of life. We’ll also speak with psychologist Geoff MacDonald about what it means to live a happy, single life in a world that often prioritizes partnership, and why marriage might not offer the best road to fulfillment for everyone. Joseph Henrich is the Ruth Moore Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, and the author of The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous. Geoff MacDonald is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, where he leads the MacDonald Social Psychology Research Laboratory, which aims to study well-being in singlehood. 

Join us for Season 8 of How God Works, starting next week!

The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy. But all too often, the darker, colder days of winter, and even the stress of preparing for the holidays themselves, can lead people to feel something else: rushed, stressed, lonely, or even hopeless. How can you make sure this year is bright? Science shows that there's a wisdom to parts of traditional winter celebrations – a wisdom that's been honed over centuries to help us all find light, joy, and connection during the darkest and coldest time of the year. Join Dave as he chats with Laurie Santos about how to unpack the psychological secrets of celebrations from Christmas, to Hanukkah, to Yule, and more. They’ll also discuss how we can put that wisdom into practice, whatever our beliefs, to make this season a happier and healthier one for all.Laurie Santos hosts the podcast The Happiness Lab and is a Professor of Psychology at Yale, where she teaches the most popular class in the university’s history. Learn more about her work at her website. 

This episode from 2023 is one of our all-time listener favorites. We're sharing it again for anyone who may have missed it, or could do with a refresher, especially at the holiday season! Surveys show feelings of sadness and despair peaked in 2023. So as we look to the new year, it’s understandable why any of us might be feeling pessimistic, even hopeless. But these feelings aren’t written in stone. We always have a choice. It’s in these darkest of times, when all feels lost, that hope helps us find our way … not just to heal ourselves, but also the world around us.On this episode, we’ll talk with the Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, about how he remains motivated and hopeful, even while covering some of the most tragic events in recent history. And he’ll offer a little advice for ways we can all rise above despair.And we’ll talk with Roshi Joan Halifax — ecologist, civil rights activist, hospice caregiver, and founder of the Upaya Zen Center — about the Buddhist-informed notion of wise hope, the equanimity it can bring, and the fierce compassion it can unleash.Nicholas Kristof is the author of the  book Chasing Hope: A Reporter's Life. Read his NYT columns here, and find out more about the cider he makes here.Roshi Joan Halifax leads the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Learn more about her work on her website.

People have been having Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) all over the world for as long as we can look back into history. And the strange thing is… these experiences seem to have a lot in common. Why? Is it a look into the afterlife? Is it just our neurons firing in weird ways as the brain dies? We’ll talk to psychiatrist Bruce Greyson, one of the world’s leading experts on Near-Death Experiences, about the research that led him to rethink his understanding of the nature of life, death, and the continuity of consciousness. We’ll explore the science behind how these experiences can provide comfort, heal past trauma, and even create transcendent experiences that help us make as much sense of our lives as of impending death. And we’ll also consider the bigger question of what NDEs suggest, if anything, about our understanding of reality. Bruce Greyson, M.D. is the author of “After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life and Beyond.” Find out more about his book, and his over 45 years of experience researching NDEs, on his website. Here are links to the recordings of people you heard talking about their NDEs throughout the episode: Sharon Stone, Dr. Mary Neal, Renee Pasarow, Cherie Aimee, Jayne Smith.Here’s a video of Dr. Gregory Shushan talking about his research on NDEs in ancient religions. 

We spend a lot of time on How God Works talking about how spirituality can offer tools to become better versions of ourselves.  And while learning to be happier, healthier and more resilient are all positive things to strive for, they can also lead us down a different path - an obsession with productivity and self-optimization… which can lead to a culture of trying to grind or life-hack our way through everything.But what if the secret to success lies in doing less, not more? On this episode, we’ll explore the Chinese concept of wu wei, effortless action. We'll talk to Edward Slingerland about how modern cognitive science has proven many early Chinese thinkers right, why wu wei is still relevant today, and how learning how not to try can help us forge a different path toward the good life.Edward Slingerland is a professor of religion at the University of British Columbia and the author of Trying Not To Try: Ancient China, Modern Science and the Power of Spontaneity. Find out more about his work, and his other books, on his website.Other texts we’ve discussed during this episode include: -Flow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi-Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, by Immanuel Kant-The Analects or Sayings of Confucius, attributed to Confucius-The Tao Te Ching or Laozi, attributed to Laozi-The Mencius, attributed to Mencius

Regret can be a double-edged sword.  It can be painful, and enduring, but we can also learn important lessons from it - IF we treat it right. Most religions speak of forgiveness and compassion, not only toward others but also toward oneself. Still, letting go can be difficult to do at times. So how do we learn from regret and start anew?Dave speaks with best selling author Daniel Pink, and renowned Buddhist teacher Sharon Salzberg to learn about the science of regret and how some spiritual wisdom and practices can help us move beyond it and begin again. Daniel Pink is the author of five New York Times bestsellers, including his latest, The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward. Learn more about his work, and where to purchase his books, on his website. Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about her teachings, and find her other media appearances and books, on her website.

For many people, the word “sin” is associated with harsh judgment and shame. Or, it’s used to talk about guilty pleasures like consuming decadent desserts... But is this concept as harmful or outdated as it seems?Join Dave as he talks with Elizabeth Oldfield about Christianity’s Seven Deadly Sins, and how reconceptualizing them for modern life can offer a science-backed user’s manual of sorts to find joy and connection in this world, whatever your beliefs.  Elizabeth Oldfield is host of The Sacred podcast and author of the book Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times. She also writes the Substack newsletter Fully Alive and works as a coach, consultant and facilitator. Find out more about her work on her website.

Join us for Season 7 of How God Works, starting next week! 

Hey Listeners, we also want to hear from you! Please take a few minutes to fill out our audience survey and be a part of shaping future seasons. Anger, loneliness, and despair are hitting record levels in the US. Our social and political fabrics are fraying. Is the turn away from religion in the US part of the problem? And if so, might a spiritual renaissance (even among the secular left) help us find new ways to flourish? Join Dave as he talks with podcast host Krista Tippett and US Senator Chris Murphy about the role spirituality (or the lack thereof) plays in our individual and societal wellbeing.Krista Tippett is the host of the acclaimed podcast and radio show On Being. Learn more about the On Being Project’s work in the world here, and be sure to check out their YouTube channel for a rich selection of inspiring and informative videos.Chris Murphy is a U.S. Senator representing the State of Connecticut. Learn more about his work on his website, and read his column on the need for a spiritual revival among the political left here.

Science and religion can often seem at loggerheads. But does it have to be that way? Dr. Francis Collins, one of the world’s leading scientists, doesn’t think so. As an internationally renowned geneticist, a recent past director of the US National Institutes of Health (where he helped guide the U.S. response to COVID), and an avowed Christian, he’s a leading voice for how and why belief in God can be rational, and for a greater openness to science among Evangelical Christians.In a special live interview, Dave talks with Francis about his journey from skeptic to believer, why he thinks science and religion aren’t incompatible, what New Atheists like Richard Dawkins and Steven Pinker get wrong in their battles against religion, and the ways in which religion can help (e.g. reducing suffering) or hinder (e.g. resistance to COVID vaccines) people’s health. For much of human history, religion and science coexisted and even learned from one another. Join Dave to explore how that can still be true. Francis Collins is the founder of BioLogos, which is dedicated to showing how science and faith can work hand in hand. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller The Language of God.

When it comes to how we treat other animals, humanity’s track record is spotty at best. Has it always been that way? And how do the beliefs we hold about animals shape how we treat them? Are they really as different from us as Western culture has long suggested? Join Dave as he speaks with anthropologist Dave Aftandilian about how different religious traditions may play a role in influencing the way people relate to other animals, and with biologist turned wildlife filmmaker and writer Tom Mustill about what the latest advances in science are revealing about animals’ internal lives. Dave Aftandilian is founding Director of the Human-Animal Relationships program at Texas Christian University, and the lead editor of the recently published Animals and Religion. Find out about his other publications and activities here. The storytellers Dave mentions during the episode are Mary Ulmer Chiltoskey and Basil Johnston. And the audio of Koyukon people talking about animals and hunting is from the excellent documentary series Make Prayers to the Raven, available on YouTube. Tom Mustill is the author of How To Speak Whale: The Power and Wonder of Speaking To Animals. Find out more about his other work, including several films and a podcast, on his website. Thanks again to Tom for sharing his recordings of whale song with us for this episode. For listeners interested in reading more about animal welfare, we recommend checking out Vox writer Kenny Torrella’s work. If you’re wondering where to donate to help reduce animal suffering, start here. Also, here are two recent New York Times articles on topics related to this episode: Scientists Find an ‘Alphabet’ in Whale Songs How Do We Know What Animals Are Really Feeling?

Do you feel connected to nature’s rhythms and the peace that they provide? Are cooking, crafting, or other small daily rituals a form of spell work or spirituality for you? If you’re a witch, the answers are a definite yes. Long in the shadows, Wicca and witchcraft are now on the rise. Join Dave as we explore what’s driving interest in these religions and dispel some of the stereotypes around them.  We’ll talk to Thorn Mooney, a Wiccan high priestess and religious studies scholar  about what it means to be a witch and why many people find it empowering, and with Hannah Hawthorn, one of the original WitchTokers, about her spiritual journey from Evangelical Christian to Pagan Witch, and how social media is shaping the practice of witchcraft today. Thorn Mooney is the author of several books, including the forthcoming Witches Among Us: A Concise Guide to Contemporary Witchcraft and Wicca (Llewellyn, October 2024). Learn more about her practice and other writings on her website and YouTube channel. Hannah Hawthorn has been sharing her practice online since 2020. Learn about her practice and find links to all her social media on her website. Find out about her book The Magick of Birthdays: Rituals, Spells, and Recipes for Honoring Your Solar Return,  here.