on sex and speaking in tongues with Dr. Andrew Newberg

The Zeitcast with Jonathan Martin

This conversation is pure exhilaration! Dr. Andrew Newberg is a neuroscientist, the pioneer of "neurotheology," and one of the world’s leading researchers exploring the relationship between neuroscience and spirituality. His research includes taking brain scans of people in prayer, meditation, rituals, and trance states, in an attempt to better understand the nature of religious and spiritual experiences. His books include the recent Sex, God and the Brain, How God Changes the Brain, and Neurotheology: How Science can Enlighten Us About Spirituality.

In this engaging conversation, Dr. Newberg discusses the intricate relationship between brain function, spirituality, and sexuality. He explores how various mental states, including religious experiences and sexual intimacy, activate different areas of the brain. The dialogue delves into Newberg's journey from neuroscience to neurotheology, and the role of rituals and myths in shaping beliefs--emphasizing the need for an integrated approach to understanding spirituality and its impact on human experience.

Along the way, Dr. Newberg and Jonathan Martin explore the connection between sex and speaking in tongues (!), how liturgical practices may be similar to experiences of ecstatic prayer, the vulnerability that can lead us into transformation (and danger), and the evolutionary roots of social hierarchies. The conversation also explores the impact of belief systems on political polarization, and the role of algorithms in shaping our perspectives.

Finally, they reflect on the neurological effects of various spiritual practices, and the importance of finding personal paths to connection and understanding. A revolutionary conversation with one of our great minds--who also turns out to be super warm, engaging, open and curious--we think this is one of our most exciting Zeitcasts yet, and hope it will be as revelatory and wonder-inducing for you, as it has been for us!