Kiyoshi Suzuki, MD, PhD
President, MOA Health Science Foundation

Last time, I talked about my surprise upon reading a paper that suggested patients who were prayed for had better treatment outcomes, and how subsequent research ultimately failed to clearly prove that finding. This time, I will discuss the fact that faith is inherited.

 

At Duke University, one of the most prestigious universities in the U.S., there is Professor Harold Koenig, who is world-renowned for his research on medicine and religion. He hosts a summer seminar on religion, spirituality, and health every year. I attended the seminar in 2010. Since the content was already difficult in Japanese and delivered in rapid-fire English, I probably only understood half of the lecture. However, I was completely shocked when I heard that faith is inherited, as I had always assumed it was not.

 

１．How Is Faith Inherited?

Several studies support the concept of faith having a genetic component. One such study (Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2013; 8:209-15) suggests a link involving dopamine receptors in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter known to be involved in functions like motor control, motivation, and learning. It transmits information by binding to dopamine receptors on other nerve cells.

 

The study introduced a hypothetical type of dopamine receptor, referred to here as Dopamine Receptor A, which is associated with promoting faith.
The research showed that for an individual to develop faith, two factors appear necessary:
1. Genetic Component (The Potential): Individuals who possessed Dopamine Receptor A (or the genetic trait for it) had the predisposition to be religious.
2. Environmental Component (The Trigger): This predisposition was activated only when their parents or other caregivers held faith.
The key findings illustrating this gene-environment interaction were:
• High Faith Tendency: People with Dopamine Receptor A and religious parents were highly likely to possess faith themselves.
• Low Faith Tendency (Despite Genetic Predisposition): People with Dopamine Receptor A but non-religious parents were less likely to possess faith.
• Low Faith Tendency (Despite Religious Environment): People who possessed other types of dopamine receptors (not Receptor A) showed a weak tendency to hold faith, even if their parents were religious.
In short, the tendency toward faith requires both a specific genetic makeup (Dopamine Receptor A) and a supportive environment (religious upbringing). [Figure 1]

 

The Role of Genes, Environment, and Individual Experience
There are also reports suggesting that this specific gene may have a stronger influence on men. Additionally, a number of other genes that promote faith have been identified.
When a person has a spiritual experience that defies rational explanation, some people awaken to faith as a result, while others simply brush it off. The fact that people interpret and react differently is likely due, in part, to these underlying genetic variations.

 

The Wisdom of a Religious Leader’s Family
A friend of mine, who was born into the family of a famous religious leader, was told by their father, “Faith is not inherited.”
I understood this not as a contradiction of the science of genetics, but a difference in the meaning of “inheritance.” It meant that even if the parents hold a position of authority, the child has no special connection to the divine or Buddha simply by birth. Therefore, to truly inherit the faith, the child must make his/her own effort.

 

２．Should We Hold Religious Faith?

From a genetic perspective, it’s plausible that individuals possessing the genes that promote faith found an advantage in environmental adaptation and survival, which is why those genes have been continuously passed down through generations.

 

The Advantages of Faith
What are the actual benefits of holding a religious faith?

 

Searching online reveals several reasons for having faith and believing in an afterlife, including:
1. Mental Support: Faith provides emotional sustenance, becoming a source of strength to overcome difficulties.
2. Community and Belonging: It fosters a sense of community and belonging, deepening social solidarity.
3. Meaning and Comfort: It alleviates the fear of death and gives life meaning and purpose.
4. Grief Recovery: Believing a lost loved one is happy in the afterlife helps one overcome sadness and grief.
5. Motivation for Good: Believing that virtuous actions (good deeds) will be rewarded in the afterlife.
6. Optimism: It heightens one’s sense of purpose in life, allowing one to live with a more positive outlook.
I agree with all of these points.

 

Pascal’s Wager (or a Similar Concept)
I forget who said it, but the idea is that it is simply better to believe that an afterlife exists. The reasoning goes:
• A person who lives recklessly, believing there is no afterlife, would face terrible consequences and regret after death, if an afterlife turns out to exist.
• Conversely, a person who believes in an afterlife, even if it doesn’t exist, will simply cease to exist after death, experiencing neither joy nor regret.
I appreciate this way of thinking. [Figure 2]

 

The benefits of holding faith are not limited to these philosophical and psychological reasons. It actually has a significant impact on our physical health.
Next time, I will discuss how and how much faith influences our health. Please look forward to it.

 

【Profile】
Suzuki Kiyoshi Graduated from Chiba University School of Medicine in 1981. Doctor of Medicine. After serving as deputy director of pediatrics at Sakakibara Memorial Hospital, working at Seijo Clinic, and director of Gyokusenkai MOA Takanawa Clinic and Tokyo Wellness Center, he is now chairman of the MOA Health Science Center (foundation) and honorary director of Tokyo Wellness Center. Director of the Japan Society for Integrative Medicine and Chairman of the International Committee. In 1994, he was awarded the Young Investigator’s Award by the Japanese Society of Pediatric Cardiology.