Neuroscientific explanations and belief in the soul: A study of Japanese cultural perspectives

Abstract

Neuroscience has revealed neural correlates for many psychological phenomena, such as morality and agency. The rise of neuroscience challenges the traditional views of mind-body dualism and the existence of the soul. Preston et al. (2013) show that exposure to the mechanistic explanations of the mind within neuroscience reduces choices to preserve the soul within a dilemma task, whereas highlighting the unexplained aspects of neuroscience increases such choices. The purpose of our study is to examine whether similar patterns can be observed in Japan; a country known for its unique religiosity and beliefs that differ from those of other nations. Our findings indicate that individuals who believe that the brain has a stronger influence on the mind than the soul, when exposed to neuroscientific information, are more likely to choose to preserve the body. Furthermore, although a single-factor structure was hypothesized for the original Dualism Scale, our study yielded a two-factor structure: belief in the soul and perception of the mind as brain functioning. These results suggest that Japanese perceptions of the mind may differ from those in the West.