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Sensing the presence of gods and spirits across cultures and faiths

Author

Listed:
  • Tanya Marie Luhrmann

    (Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305)

  • Kara Weisman

    (Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305; Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305)

  • Felicity Aulino

    (Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305; Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003)

  • Joshua D. Brahinsky

    (Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305)

  • John C. Dulin

    (Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305; Department of Behavioral Science, Utah Valley University, Orem, UT 84058)

  • Vivian A. Dzokoto

    (Department of African and African American Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University)

  • Cristine H. Legare

    (Department of Psychology, The University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712)

  • Michael Lifshitz

    (Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305; Department of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 1A1)

  • Emily Ng

    (Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305; Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis, University of Amsterdam, 1012 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Nicole Ross-Zehnder

    (Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305)

  • Rachel E. Smith

    (Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305; Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge, CB2 3RF Cambridge, United Kingdom)

Abstract

Hearing the voice of God, feeling the presence of the dead, being possessed by a demonic spirit—such events are among the most remarkable human sensory experiences. They change lives and in turn shape history. Why do some people report experiencing such events while others do not? We argue that experiences of spiritual presence are facilitated by cultural models that represent the mind as “porous,” or permeable to the world, and by an immersive orientation toward inner life that allows a person to become “absorbed” in experiences. In four studies with over 2,000 participants from many religious traditions in the United States, Ghana, Thailand, China, and Vanuatu, porosity and absorption played distinct roles in determining which people, in which cultural settings, were most likely to report vivid sensory experiences of what they took to be gods and spirits.

Suggested Citation

  • Tanya Marie Luhrmann & Kara Weisman & Felicity Aulino & Joshua D. Brahinsky & John C. Dulin & Vivian A. Dzokoto & Cristine H. Legare & Michael Lifshitz & Emily Ng & Nicole Ross-Zehnder & Rachel E. Smi, 2021. "Sensing the presence of gods and spirits across cultures and faiths," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 118(5), pages 2016649118-, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nas:journl:v:118:y:2021:p:e2016649118
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