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Page 8
2016 Worship Guide
December 7, 2016
A Lincoln Daily News Publication
A
recent research team has shown that the
“Spirit of Christmas lives in our hearts
and our cerebellum.”
A functional MRI study was conducted in
October 2015. The Functional Imaging Unit
and Department of Clinical Physiology,
Nuclear Medicine and PET in Denmark
performed this study locating a “Christmas
spirit” network in the brain that is activated
by images with Christmas themes.
The Christmas spirit has been a widespread
phenomenon for centuries, commonly
described as feelings of joy and nostalgia
mixed with associations to merriment, gifts,
delightful smells, and copious amounts of
good food.
It is yet to be determined, however, where
in the human body this “Christmas spirit”
resides and which biological mechanisms are
involved.
This research was an attempt to localize the
Christmas spirit in the human brain using
functional magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI).
Christians have for centuries recognized
emotional changes that happen during the
yuletide season, “Peace on earth and good
will to men.” This season is full of joy,
including family get-together’s, parties, visits
and gifts.
This study indicates that our neural-makeup
may have a larger role in the Christmas spirit
than believed before.
The objective of this experiment was to
detect and localize the Christmas spirit in the
human brain.
Designed as a single blinded, cross-cultural
group study, with functional magnetic
resonance imaging (fMRI); ten healthy
Continue †
Where resides
the Christmas spirit?
Pastor Ben Manley
of First Baptist Church