We seek to understand the science behind some of the big questions in life. Why and how do people develop relationships with supernatural agents such as Gods or Buddhas? How does religious belief work? What effects do these kinds of belief have on people's lives, and on their brain, body, and behavior? What role do dreams play in spirituality? Our research, and your participation, will shed light on the neuroscience of religious cognition in an entirely new way.

We are part of a large project funded by the John Templeton Foundation. For information about the larger study and the teams we work with, you can visit the "Our Partners" page listed above.

Our group aims to study a diverse sample of participants from various spiritual backgrounds. We engage with all religious denominations as well as those who are non-denominational or non-theistic altogether. We plan to have a wide range of these unique identities represented and researched. The entire study is done online, in the comfort of your home. If you are interested, please go to the "How to Participate" page to see if you qualify.

The initial Baseline Survey includes a wide variety of assessments so that we can learn more about your background. The questions cover a wide array of topics such as your relationships, personality, religiosity, and sleep habits. Your responses help us determine if you're a good candidate for the longitudinal (2-week) portion of the study. Answering the Baseline Survey questions accurately and honestly is a very valuable contribution to this research, but it should be noted that not everyone who completes the Baseline Survey will be selected for the 2-week study. Respondents who qualify and are selected will be contacted by a member of our research team to schedule a meeting to further ensure they are a good candidate for participation and for information on how to get started.

The longitudinal study consists of completing online nightly surveys and morning dream reports with related questionnaires for 2 weeks. You will be assigned a researcher as your personal contact for questions or concerns throughout the duration of the study. Some participants will also be asked to wear a portable-EEG device, called the DREEM Headband, to record their brain activity for weeks while sleeping during these 2 weeks. Afterwards, all participants will be interviewed about their personal history and religious background.

If you've been selected to participate in the 2-week study, we invite you to use the "Current Participant Resources" page for helpful information, such as FAQs about the DREEM Headband and advice on how to improve dream recall.

Thank you for your interest in our research!