Spirituality is also physical: New study shows close connection between body awareness and spiritual experience

Spirituality is not just a matter of the mind - it is closely linked to how we perceive our body. This is the conclusion reached by a research team from Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) and the University of Tübingen. For the study, the researchers led by Prof Dr Johannes Michalak, Chair of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy II at the UW/H, examined data from more than 730 Christians, Muslims and Buddhists in the USA - one of the largest studies on this topic to date.

Clear result across all religions

The result is clear: in all three religious groups, the researchers found a clear statistical correlation between so-called interoceptive awareness - i.e. the ability to perceive inner bodily sensations and deal with them constructively - and spirituality. People who are able to consciously sense their bodily signals, register the interplay between their body and their own emotions and use their body for self-regulation have a higher level of spirituality than people who are less able to do so.

Surprisingly, the strongest correlation was not found among Buddhists - although meditation is a central, body-based practice there - but among Christian participants.

How it was measured

The researchers used two established scientific measuring instruments for the study: (1) a questionnaire on interoceptive awareness, which measures how well people perceive and regulate inner bodily sensations, and (2) the Spiritual Transcendence Scale, which can measure the extent of spirituality across religions. They then calculated the extent to which the two areas are connected.

Prof Dr Johannes Michalak: "Our results show that spirituality is not just a question of thinking - as is often assumed - it arises from the interaction of mind and body."

Further information: You can find the full study here: https://doi.org/10.1177/00846724251381842