Jeff Bridges

Is Prayer Like Social Networking?

According to a recent article in Fast Company magazine, Social Networking Affects Brains Like Falling in Love, the same brain chemical responsible for the bond between mothers and their babies is also released when interacting online. In an experiment overseen by Claremont Graduate University “neuroeconomist” Paul Zak, a Fast Company reporter had blood drawn and tested both before and after spending 10 minutes tweeting with friends and strangers:

In those 10 minutes between blood batches one and two, my oxytocin levels spiked 13.2%. That’s equivalent to the hormonal spike experienced by the groom at the wedding Zak attended…. “Your brain interpreted tweeting as if you were directly interacting with people you cared about or had empathy for,” Zak says. “E-connection is processed in the brain like an in-person connection.”

Besides at least partially explaining all of those hours I spent online during my wasted youth—and still do today, come to think of it—the article made me think about Tworship, religious services tweeted on Twitter, and led me to wonder whether prayer itself also raises oxytocin levels. I did a quick internet search and found that while studies on prayer indicate that something is happening to lower stress, I could not find a study specifically investigating the release of oxytocin during prayer.

If prayer does cause the release of this hormone Zak calls the “‘social glue’ that adheres families, communities, and societies,” it could go a long way toward explaining the strong sense of community that develops among those who attend services together. Furthermore, just as oxytocin helps to cement the bond between mother and child, it may also in part explain the sense of connectedness we feel with the divine through prayer.

I believe it is important to note, however, that understanding why we experience something does not invalidate the reality of that experience. Just as understanding how our brains perceive falling in love does not mean we do not in fact love someone, likewise understanding how our brains perceive our relationship with the divine does not mean that God is not present in our lives.

Knowing how our brains react to prayer could lead to fascinating connections between how we live our religious lives and how we interact with our family, friends, and strangers. Indeed, following the call to love our neighbors as ourselves—to interact with those we meet both in person and online in a caring, empathic manner—would lead to increased production of oxytocin, and thus fuller, happier, longer, as well as more virtuous lives.