Each of us has a way of seeing the world, our own system of values and beliefs that make us observe, analyze and judge reality in a certain way. Within these value systems a high proportion of the population includes beliefs of a spiritual and religious nature , in many cases acquired and assimilated through culture and education. And in some cases these beliefs and their reinforcement throughout life can give rise to inflexible interpretations of how the world is or should be.

Furthermore, this lack of cognitive flexibility is not always a product of learning, but there are lesions and alterations in different parts of the brain that can make it difficult or even lose enough cognitive flexibility to accept other possible interpretations of reality, so that only one’s own beliefs are acceptable. We are talking about how a brain injury can cause religious fanaticism .

Religious Beliefs and Fanaticism

Religious beliefs are understood to be that set of ideas considered to be true by the people who profess them and which usually include references to a specific way of seeing and interpreting existence and reality.

Together with other types of values and beliefs, they form part of the system of values on the basis of which we organize our actions and existence in the world . They are a certain way of giving meaning to reality based on the experience or information that has been transmitted by society and culture. In themselves, they are neither positive nor negative, but rather a part of the idiosyncrasy of each person. And in normal conditions they are not necessarily exclusive with other forms of interpretation either.

However, sometimes people limit their perspective of reality to one or a specific group of beliefs, rejecting the possibility of the existence of other alternatives and considering their own as the only valid one.

If the defense of this system of beliefs becomes vehement and passionate to the point of becoming irrational , it tries to impose on others such beliefs and to discard the possibility of criticism of these or the viability of other alternatives can be considered that we are before the presence of fanaticism.One of the main aspects that differentiates fanaticism from belief (whether religious or not) is the loss of cognitive flexibility and openness to new perspectives.

Cognitive flexibility

One of the main and most important executive functions, cognitive flexibility is that capacity that allows human beings to be able to modify their cognitions and behaviors from new information coming from the outside or from the processing and elaboration of this information due to reasoning.

This capacity allows us to be able to face changes in the natural and social environment and makes us capable of surviving, generating new strategies and adopting new approaches. It serves to reorganize our mental structure and our value systems and beliefs according to existing information. It also allows us to learn from experience and to link with reality.

The absence or diminished presence of this capacity causes, on the contrary, that we are worse prepared to face alterations in the environment and assume the arrival of novelties alien to what is already known. Behaviour and thought become rigid and persistent, and survival and adaptation are often made difficult.

Research data: effects of prefrontal injury

Different researches have reported that part of the brain areas linked to our belief system are linked to one of the most relevant brain regions for the social performance and functioning of the human being: the frontal cortex.

Specifically, a link has been detected between the ability to reorganize our cognition and beliefs from experience and accept new possibilities and the prefrontal ventromedial area. This area helps to regulate emotional perception and expression and has a strong involvement in the management of motivation, response to the environment and human creativity.

Injuries in this area have manifested to diminish the creative capacity and the imagination of the human being, in addition to his mental flexibility and the possibility of visualizing and understanding new perspectives. Openness to experience, one of the main personality traits, is also greatly reduced.

However, it should be borne in mind that the data have been extracted from the analysis of a sample limited to different Vietnam War veterans with or without brain injuries, which implies that they are mostly American males with a certain age and cultural characteristics and specific experiences and beliefs. Thus, the results can hardly be generalized to other cultures, religions or subjects with other characteristics.

Implications of these investigations

It is important to note that the data reflected by these investigations refer to the presence of fanaticism and the relationship between it and the loss of mental flexibility resulting from brain injury. It is not a question of attacking religious beliefs , which are still a way of trying to organise and explain the world, something that is not the intention either of this article or of the research on which it is based.

Neither should it be considered that all people who present a high level of religious fanaticism suffer brain injuries or problems in the prefrontal area, there being a great environmental and educational influence in the emergence and development of the capacity to see and accept new perspectives or the difficulty to do so.

What this research does reflect is that certain brain injuries can cause loss of cognitive flexibility that can lead to fanaticism. And not only religious, but also those linked to other types of stimulation or beliefs .

This research could help locate which brain areas are linked to beliefs and open-mindedness and help establish strategies and mechanisms to treat the presence of disorders in which mental rigidity and other disorders resulting from injury and illness are present.

Bibliographic references:

  • Zhong, W.; Cristofori, I.; Bulbulia, J.; Krueger F. & Grafman, J. (2017). Biological and cognitive underpinnings of religious fundamentalism. Neuropsychology, 100. 18-25.