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While many parishioners often look to their pastor for emotional and spiritual support, it is not often that we think that members of the clergy need such psychological assistance as well. Nonetheless, the demands of the ministry can be highly demanding and their unique professional role may often lead to isolation from important social support networks. Profs. Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell (Duke) and Chris Adams (Azusa Pacific) discuss the results of a recent study on the mental health of ministers within the United Methodist Church. The focus is not only on trying to address negative mental health outcomes, but ways in which positive mental health predictors can be encouraged. We also talk about how one counselor (Dr. Adams) has put this research to use in his own role as a counselor to seminarians and missionaries.

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In a slight departure from our regular fare on religion, we step into the world of philosophy to examine the question of where virtue comes from and how it develops. Dan Russell (University of Arizona) explores this topic via the “mundane” (meaning “of this world”) approach of Aristotle. We examine the difference between ideals and virtues, the role of personality in psychology, and how this all might relate to religion.

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France has a sizable and growing Muslim population, but how well are they integrated into national life? Prof. Claire Adida discusses a multi-pronged study conducted with David Laitin and Marie-Anne Valfort assessing the extent of discrimination on religious grounds and why it occurs. We discuss “rational” and “non-rational” Islamophobia (listen to the podcast for full definition of these terms) and the self-reinforcing “discriminatory equilibrium” that has resulted in the country. She also discusses the field experiments conducted as part of this research.

Research on Religion is available for free on iTunes. We have over 270 unique episodes in the archives.

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Can religion coexist with psychological counseling? While some tension has existed between these realms, Dr. Gregory Popcak explains how they are mutually facilitative and discusses his career as a Catholic psychologist. We also talk about his book “Broken Gods” and the why and how humans can become more like “god” (small “g”) and what that means. While it may sound blasphemous, Dr. Popcak notes this was a theme with such luminaries as St. Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, and C.S. Lewis!

Visit our extensive archives to find more interesting interviews!

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Can neuroscience detect the long-held notion that there is a connection between the spirit and the body? Is prayer good for the brain? And what about cuddle parties? These questions are answered by Rob Moll, an independent journalist and scholar who has investigated the current boundaries of brain science. We discuss how prayer works to alter your brain, how being in a group and touching can change your mood, and how the subconscious reacts the signals of other individuals, all in the context of religious experience.

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In an encore presentation, previously broadcast in January 2011, Prof. Eric Carter of Georgetown College joins Tony to discuss the difficulties facing professional athletes in the National Football League (NFL) and what role religion plays in helping stabilize the lives of those lived in the NFL spotlight based on unprecedented access to over 100 pro players. The rapid ascension to fame and fortune often places these young men into situations where they experience severe difficulties in coping and finding stable relationships. Our conversation turns to what role religion helps in overcoming many of these difficulties. As an added bonus, both Eric and Tony reveal their Super Bowl predictions for 2011. See if they were correct!

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What better way to celebrate our 200th episode, than to grab some leftover Mother’s Day cake, bring a bunch of school kids into the recording studio, and learn about the future of the social scientific study of religion with our old friend Bradley Wright? Prof. Wright details a new research strategy of studying individual spirituality called SoulPulse. Harnessing the power of cellular phones and other social media technology, Brad and his team of intrepid researchers are gathering data on how individual people experience spiritual beliefs on a day-to-day (if not hour-to-hour). Find out what some of the early results are and how you can participate by listening to the podcast, clicking the “read more” link below, and telling your friends about this awesome study.

Celebrate our 200th episode by giving the gift of education; tell a friend about this podcast.

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Why and how do religious groups motivate generosity? We visit with Prof. Carolyn Warner (ASU) who is involved in a multi-national, cross-faith, and interdisciplinary investigation exploring why religious individuals give money and volunteer time to help others. As part of a larger team of scholars, she has conducted interviews with Catholics and Muslims in France, Ireland, Italy, and Turkey using both person-to-person interviews and an experimental design to see if there are differences across these to faith traditions. She and her team discover that Catholics tend to be motivated by “love of God” whereas Muslims are moved to give out of a “duty to God.” This sheds light on whether organizations need to provide close monitoring and sanctioning of volunteer behavior or whether individuals can be counted to be generous on their own.

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Do human beings have a cognitive predisposition to believe in the supernatural from birth? In other words, is spirituality a natural tendency in us? Psychologist Justin Barrett (Fuller Theological Seminary) explores some fascinating research that indicates that we have a strong sense of God from birth, and that this innate tendency is actually shared across cultures and historical epochs. While Prof. Barrett argues that religion is natural for humans, he also tells us that theology is “unnatural” and we examine the implications between religion (innate belief) and theology (structured logic).

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Prof. G. Alexander Ross of the Institute for the Psychological Sciences discusses the decline in female happiness over the past four decades and how it is related to declining religious partipation. Our interview features a general discussion of happiness, the non-religious factors affecting one’s happiness, the general decline in female happiness (relative to males) and how religion promotes general contentment and joy. Prof. Ross notes that recent declines among church attendance, particularly among women, have led to a steeper decline in happiness for females as compared to men. We conclude with a discussion of the role of religion in psychological counseling.

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