Researchers Discover 'Anxiety Cells' In The Brain

The brain’s activities in creating homeostasis of all bodily functions is a prime source of physics that can be distorted as metaphysics. Mechanical functions of the brain are just that–mechanical, not implications of theist or atheist beliefs. Anxiety cells in the brain are there to report malfunctions in the physical realm, not to support mythologies in the mental. The brain’s primary function is supervision of the body, including its physical self.

We are social mammals. Anxiety regarding social stuff part of the limbic system perview. Snuff anxiety and…well, we don’t know the side effects or really primary long term effects. It would not surprise me if some people were like socio and psychopaths if you shut down their anxiety. And, of course, mild forms of being ruder, less aware of what others might be thinking or doing, etc. It is not a coincidence that psychotropics have some of the longest lists of side effects and adverse reactions. Emotions are CORE to us. Mess with them in the modular thinking, shutting off anxiety nerve, raising this single neurotransmitter non-holistic type thinking is like doing ecology with Newtonian physics as if it was a billiard game.

‘Mechanical’ [actually biological] functions of the brain are those related to instincts, e.g. primary emotions.
Anxiety as a secondary emotion is not a ‘mechanical’ [instinctual] function of the brain rather it is more psychological than ‘mechanical’ [instinctual].

Anxiety = psychological
Religion = psychological
Therefore there is a link between religion and anxiety.

Note how anxiety are involved at different levels of the human psyche;

  1. Anxiety of mortality [subliminal or explicit] will push a person to religion in a fundamental perspective and
  2. religion can also cause anxieties in a religious person in another perspectives if did not conform and has guilt.

Note:

The last para above should include the primal existential angst [due to certain terminality] that general anxieties [subliminal or explicit] which compel the majority to establish religions and believe in a religion.

Why do you think you have such an overabundance of anxiety cells, Prismatic?

If existential angst is not the experience of all humans, then those who make a religion of its effects must amount to a smaller group of paranoid fundamentalists. One size does not fit all.
Scientists should stick to doing science and leave metaphysics to the philosophical and religious mythologists.
Anxiety cells are there to address the need for homeostasis of functional parts of the brain/body.
The human experience that does suggest religion is the teleological determinism of evolution.

DNA wise ALL humans has the potential for existential angst and this potential is activated in a range of degrees.
The majority of humans has a high activation of the existential angst at the subliminal level and they turned to religions to soothe the inherent unavoidable existential angst.
Those who do not turn to religion will turn to other secular activities or drugs to soothe the brain pains arising from the inherent unavoidable existential angst.

Science is Science and it cannot be Metaphysics nor religion. A scientist is a person who MUST wear the Scientific ‘Hat’ when doing Science. Thus Science has never meddled with Metaphysics nor religion. That person has to wear a specific religious hat if that person were to adopt a religion or a parent-hat when he is bring up his children.

If a Scientist study the behavior of those who are into Metaphysics or religion, they are not doing Metaphysics nor religion per se, rather they are doing Science and in conformance with the rules of Science.
For example Andrew Newberg, a neuroscientist studies the brain patterns of those who are doing religions. What is wrong with that?

Anxiety cells are discovered by Scientists and that is Science, not religion.
But from a philosophy perspective, we can wear the philosopher’s ‘hat’ to use such scientific knowledge as basis to rationalize the correlation between anxiety cells and religion and therefrom attempt to link it to causation.

That is only part of the story. The anxiety emotion has a wide range of effect [positive and negative] on the human systems.
A feeling anxiety could push person to seek medical help when they see symptoms of disease within themselves. A person could also feel anxious arising from empathy for another person.

Nah, it is an empirical fact not all humans are religious.
It is also a fact the trend of religiosity within humanity is going down since 100 years ago.

Note the chart below re USA [a google quickie] and it is the same for the whole world.

The discovery of anxiety cells in the brain may be science at work; the religious and/or philosophical implications made from the studies are not. This is the problem with translating normal chemical functions as conscious ideas. If you knew the processes involved in such a translation, you would be close to devising a robot that could pass the Turing test. The function of brains, again, is to achieve homeostasis of all physical/mental functions. To assume they do more than that is to assume ideas science has not yet begun to prove. The studies are like those in search of a “Grandmother” neuron or "God "gene. You have to know what consciousness entails before you can describe its origins in the physical world by assigning thoughts to bodily functions. This would include knowing the influences of genes and memes on what one believes to be true.

That not all humans are religious does not reinforce the notions that DNA causes existential angst, that brains create religions or that existential angst is the impetus behind the creation of a religion. So, how do atheists handle the supposed universal condition of existential angst? Would you say that Niebuhr, Tillich, Lewis, and Schweitzer., et al., suffered from existential angst or were those sufferers just the founders of the religions and their followers?

Note the OP,

The research did not mention anything about religion.

However from my philosophical perspective, I see a link between the above and religion.

From the above it is noted, anxiety[existential based] caused religions.
Therefore when we know how to turn off the anxiety cells we can turn off religions.
QED.

But obviously the actual processes are very complicated but the above indicate there is possibility it can be done in the future.

OK - one of the function.
When the existential crisis activate instability, the brain’s anxiety cells [and other functions] trigger a state of anxiety to compel the self to find solutions to maintain homeostasis of its mental state. The solution to maintain homeostasis [mental] is believing in a religion.

But because theistic-religions create and generate terrible evils and violence, we have to do something about it. One solution is to deal with the related anxieties with non-religious alternatives so that we can eliminate all religious-related evils and violence.

My thesis is this;

The existential angst is handled via the inhibition of the impulses from the existential-angst neurons.
The non-theistics deal with it in the following;

  1. Non-theistic religions - Buddhism, Jainism, etc.
  2. Using their rational minds and critical thinking
  3. Occupied themselves with secular thoughts and activities
  4. Occults
  5. Drugs - hallucinogens
  6. Opioids
  7. Gangs [tribal], criminal activities, etc.
  8. Various non-theistic approaches

The above approaches are usually combined in various degrees and forms.

As I stated ALL humans has the potential for existential angst.
If the above are religious [theistic] then their existential angst would be definitely be active in various degrees.

Note in GENERAL a baby and those up to a certain teenage age do not have an active existential angst in the brain that would drive them personally on their own to religions in its various forms and degrees.

So “turning off” anxiety cells and bypassing the brain’s natural checks and balance systems is a good thing? I don’t know many scientists who would believe that even if it could be done. You either do not understand homeostasis or you do not see its physical/mental complexity. Tampering with such mental/physical, natural processes smacks of a Nazi agenda.

The bolded portion was my guess. Unfortunately lay science and corporate approaches to change often involve an avoidance of dealing with complexity. Now of course he says it will be foolproof in his fantasy future - but he does not seem to understand that we are ecological systems.

Somehow you are stuck with either on or off [black or white] without taking into account gradations and contexts. You have to check your impulsiveness in jumping to see the worse [Nazi, frankenstein monsters, etc.] whenever you come across issues like the above.
We need to understand ‘turn off’ do not mean completely shut off.

Note Aristotle’s re anger which is applicable in this case;

We cannot get rid of the anxiety cells but we can modulate it as in the above.
Note there are tons of research on the subject of impulse-control.

Note in real life the Buddhists [since 2500 years ago], other Eastern spiritualities and various self-development programs are targeting on impulse controls with great results. Their limitations are that they operate on a black-box approach.

The discovery of anxiety cells will facilitate greater improvements in impulse controls related to anxiety-religion connections to facilitate greater precision in taking the necessary corrective actions.

Don’t insult my intelligence on this basic point.
Actually you have a shortfall of knowledge as I had provided and shown above.

That is the problem with most theists, they have a very sensitive ‘thermostat’ to sense anything that is not within their knowledge database as a threat. Then they will associate the new ideas [even justified] as Nazi, evil, satanic and all sort of ugly and evil terms to shut the others off. Such tactics do not work because the truth will always prevails.

I was hoping you will give more solid and sound arguments to counter my approach or views.

Note I am into the idiot-proofing [fool proofing] business and have done extensive research and practical in this area. So I know what I am talking about regardless whether we are talking about machines, robots or humans. The difference is just a matter of degrees not either can or cannot be applied.

Wasn’t it you who suggested that turning off anxiety cells in the brain could rid us of those religious feelings you seem to despise?

“Turn off” was not my word. It was the article in the OP which used the term ‘turn off’ which do not mean a complete shut down. If that is the case, it would be more efficient to kill off all the anxiety cells. ‘Turn off’ is never meant to be a complete shut off.

The term I normally use is ‘modulate’ and in relation to quote from Aristotle re anger.

In the case of anxiety cells we have to look into it in greater details to ensure we avoid other side effects before we implement anything in relation to the existential crisis.

Have you read the works of Damasio and others of the likes who specialize in ‘emotions’ and they show that emotions are critical necessity for life.

When Emotions Make Better Decisions - Antonio Damasio
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wup_K2WN0I[/youtube]

But as we can see below he did not use that term. Irrelius was correct. He followed up the quote and USED ‘TURN OFF’

My bold.

This kind of not even being able to acknowledge the obvious that is a form of continued disrespect for anyone else in the discussion.

And notice the I did nto use X, but X is really OK for these reasons, but I would never use it, I use Y, which he did not.

I mean, seriously

And everyone here has read Damasio. Jesus.

Of course I’ve read Damasio; but what on earth could Damasio’s work on emotions and Aristotle’s notes on anger explain as rational refutation of religious ideologies? Your smattering of quotes is diminished by your ego. It is difficult to debate with blatant arrogance. Does your life depend on getting this particular topic reasonable or is it simply evidence of your disdain for the religions? In short there seems to be too much you in your threads and not enough substance for a reasonable debate. Good Lord, man, your topic sounds like something out of a supermarket tabloid.

Note generally there can be a few meaning to a word or term.
In a discussion forum like this, we cannot be precise all the time.
If a dispute arising, then there is a need to clarify the exact meaning that is used.

It is very philosophical immatured to catch someone on the use terms when there is so much room for clarification.

Debate?? You are the one who making noises instead of addressing the arguments I presented.

You seem to have a very short memory.
If you note, whatever I had quoted is always used to support a certain point.

You stated [implied] I used the term ‘turned off’ to mean a total shutdown.
I refer you to Damasio and others showing emotions are necessary for a wide range of process and thus cannot be totally shut down.
Thus since I have read Damasio and other, my use of ‘turning off’ do not imply a “total shutdown” and I explain why I would prefer ‘modulate’ when you raise a dispute re ‘turn off.’

Does this matter?
I sugggest you focus on the argument rather than getting emotional about it with the wrong perception I have a disdain for religion.

Note I linked this in the OP, i.e.

My focus on religion is mainly due to the above, and being a very concerned citizen of humanity I am trying to contribute what I can to resolve the terrible threat at present and in the future.

You don’t seem to be empathic to the people who had been killed, maimed and oppressed in the name of religion.
Why I am trying my best to get to the proximate root cause, you are trying to shut me up.

I can understand your typical [very common from theists] very negative responses toward my finding a solution to deal with the negative and evil of religion because you have a vested psychological interest in religion and theism. Obviously you sensed [subliminally] my views are a threat to your psychological security.

Note I have provided references that there is a link between religion and anxiety.
I believe it is the existential anxiety that led the majority to religion and religion is the proximate cause of all religious based evils and violence.
Therefore if we understand the mechanics of the existential anxiety [this OP] and can link it to religion, then we can do whatever is necessary to control religion [prevent or eliminate] to that we can eliminate all religious-based evils and violence.

Note this again [just in case you are still wondering why I discuss on religion];

and the whole loads of other religious evils and violence that is driving my postings on theism and religion.