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.

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