Science & Health Benefits of Belief in God & Religion | Dr. David DeSteno

Welcome to the Huberman Lab Podcast, where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life. I'm Andrew Huberman and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. My guest today is Dr. David D'Steno. Dr.

David D'Steno is a professor of psychology at Northeastern University and an expert on the science of morality, religion, and the health benefits of belief in God and religion. Many people, perhaps most people actually, view science and religion as mutually exclusive. Today Dr. D'Steno explains why that view is actually incorrect, and he also shares the data showing that religion and prayer have tremendous mental and physical benefits. We discuss the brain mechanisms that often lead people to embrace faith in God and religion, and we attempt to tackle some of the big questions that often come up around science and religion.

For instance, can the existence of God actually be proven? Can it be disproven? If not, how should we think about miracles, the origin of life, and the afterlife? So small questions like that. We also discuss where the line between rituals and suspicions resides and what distinguishes religions from cults.

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