By shutting down the threat-processing centre of the brain, scientists weakened people's faith in God and made them less prejudiced A joint team of Am

Disabling parts of the brain with magnets can weaken faith in God and change attitudes to immigrants, study finds

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2021-05-29 15:30:01

By shutting down the threat-processing centre of the brain, scientists weakened people's faith in God and made them less prejudiced

A joint team of American and British scientists have discovered that powerful magnetic pulses to the brain can temporarily change people's feelings on a variety of subjects - from their belief in God, to their attitude to immigration.

The study, published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, saw scientists use a metal coil to create strong magnetic fields around certain parts of the brain.

However, researchers have now found that by targeting the part of the brain that deals with threats, they can temporarily change people's beliefs and views.

The team, comprised of scientists from the University of York and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), used 39 politically moderate students as test subjects.

The two were split into two groups - one, the control group, was given a sham dose of magnetism that was not strong enough to influence brain activity.