In a new study published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, researchers have suggested that more than 80% of the world population are religious or spiritual. 

They say they have identified the brain circuit for spirituality in humans by using datasets from neurosurgical patients and those with brain lesions.

Using datasets from 88 neurosurgical patients, who were undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumour, the researchers had done a survey on the patients questioning about spiritual acceptance before and after surgery. 30 patients out of 88 showed a decrease in self-reported spiritual belief after neurosurgical brain tumour resection, whereas, 29 showed an increase, and the rest others showed no change.

Their findings included that brain lesions associated with self-reported spirituality map to a brain circuit centred on the periaqueductal grey, a brainstem region previously implicated in fear conditioning, pain modulation, and altruistic behaviour.

To validate their results, the researchers had used a second dataset made up of more than 100 patients with lesions caused by penetrating head trauma from combat during the Vietnam War.

Quoting to Michael Ferguson, a principal investigator in Brigham’s Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics, report says, “We were astonished to find that this brain circuit for spirituality is centred in one of the most evolutionarily preserved structures in the brain".

In addition, the researchers also found several case reports of patients who became hyper-religious after experiencing brain lesions that affected the negative nodes of the circuit.

The researchers have noted that the study was limited to the information provided by the patients themselves.