Where do our beliefs come from, and why do we hold on to some of them even if there is evidence to the contrary? Why, for example, do we continue to be fascinated by God, religion, haunted houses, UFOs, conspiracy theories, and miracle cures, even when science can dispute many of these claims? Is it because we are uneducated, or are our brains designed to interpret and seek out such possibilities in the world? Simply put: Why do we believe what we believe?
We all have spiritual, social, and individual beliefs, some of them we are biologically driven into finding meaning and wholeness throughout our lives. It is in fact, a capacity that our brains have to create and maintain a system of beliefs that can take us far beyond our survival-oriented needs. These belief systems not only shape our morals and ethics, but they can be harnessed to heal our bodies and minds, enhance our intimate relationships, and deepen our spiritual connections with others. However, they can also be used to manipulate and control, for we are also born with a biological propensity to impose our belief systems on others. Although we do not realize, we have this innate power in our beliefs to heal or injure, to foster happiness or disease, or generate societal friction or peace.
So, it’s only natural that we study to understand more of how our minds work and form these belief systems.
A belief system is an ideology or set of principles that helps us to interpret our everyday reality. This could be in the form of religion, political affiliation, philosophy, or spirituality, among many other things. These beliefs are shaped and influenced by a number of different factors – our knowledge on a certain topic, the way we were raised, and even peer pressure from others can help to create and even change our belief systems. The convictions that come from these systems are a way for us to make sense of the world around us and to define our role within it, they are like the “internal commands” for our brain to interpret what is happening. In the absence of beliefs or inability to tap into them, an individual would feel disempowered.
Beliefs originate from what we hear, and keep on hearing from others, ever since we were children. The sources of beliefs include environment, events, knowledge, past experiences, visualization, etc. One of the biggest misconceptions people often harbor is that belief is a static, intellectual concept. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Beliefs are a choice. We have the power to choose them and then, they become our reality. Beliefs are not just cold mental premises, but are ‘hot stuff’ intertwined with emotions (conscious or unconscious). Perhaps, that is why we feel threatened or react with sometimes uncalled for aggression, when we think our beliefs are being challenged! Research findings have repeatedly pointed out that the emotional brain is no longer confined to the classical locales of the hippocampus, amygdala and hypothalamus. The sensory inputs we receive from the environment undergo a filtering process as they travel across one or more synapses, ultimately reaching the area of higher processing, like the frontal lobes. There, the sensory information enters our conscious awareness. What portion of this sensory information enters is determined by our beliefs. Fortunately, receptors on the cell membranes are flexible, which can alter in sensitivity and conformation. In other words, even when we feel stuck ‘emotionally’, there is always a biochemical potential for change and possible growth. When we choose to change our thoughts (bursts of neurochemicals), we become open and receptive to other pieces of sensory information hitherto blocked by our beliefs! When we change our thinking, we change our beliefs. When we change our beliefs, we change our behavior.
Conflict between two groups, including war, may be defined as a battle between belief systems. Symbols emerge strongly in such conflicts: they may be revered objects like stones, writings, buildings, flags or badges; whatever they may be, they may symbolize the central core of a belief system. When people become symbols, the real person may become obscured behind the projected symbolic image or person. That’s why in history the biggest question is how Hitler managed to get a whole nation to follow him into the holocaust – that’s because he manipulated them within their belief systems.
To fully understand a system of belief we would have to study and correlate a wide range of human beliefs with specific perceptual, social, and biological factors. Some beliefs can enhance our physical and emotional well-being while others can function destructively, not only upon one’s self, but upon society as well. Although our beliefs are rooted in the biology of the brain, they are equally shaped by parents, peers, and society. In the end, a better understanding of beliefs can foster a more compassionate perspective on people who hold other beliefs and point the direction toward a more positive life and society. In other words, kindness and compassion would be the key to a peaceful world, if only we would respect each other’s beliefs (choices) and do not let ourselves, ever, be blinded by ours.
Based on The biochemistry of belief article of the Indian Journal of Psychiatry (http://www.indianjpsychiatry.org/)
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