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2016 Worship Guide
December 7, 2016
A Lincoln Daily News Publication
Page 9
participants were randomly chosen from the
Copenhagen area who routinely celebrate
Christmas and 10 healthy people living in the
same area who have no Christmas traditions.
An even number of males and females were
chosen who all were in their early twenties.
The neural networks
showed a series
of cerebral
regions are more
active in people
who celebrate
Christmas
with positive
associations, as
compared with
people with no Christmas
traditions and neutral
associations.
Neural activity was monitored as the
subjects viewed a series of images with
Christmas themes interweaved with neutral
images having similar characteristics but
containing nothing that symbolizes Christmas.
After scanning, participants answered a
questionnaire about their Christmas traditions
and the associations they have with Christmas.
Brain activation maps from scanning were
analyzed for Christmas related activation in
the “Christmas” and “non-Christmas” groups
individually.
Subsequently, differences between the
two groups were calculated to determine
Christmas specific brain activation.
Conclusion, there is a “Christmas spirit
network” in the human brain comprising
several cortical areas. This network had a
significantly higher activation in people who
celebrate Christmas with positive associations
as opposed to a people who have no
Christmas traditions and neutral associations.
Further research is necessary to understand
this and other potential holiday circuits in the
brain.
Suffice it to say that the joy that comes from
the birth of Jesus affects our body, spirit
and soul, but the brain with its wonderful
mysterious power may be more central to
enjoying Christmas than we have ever known.
The Christmas spirit has eluded science thus
far; though well known as a pleasant feeling,
its cerebral location and mechanisms are still
a mystery. This research is a beginning of
understanding how God has created His Spirit
to master the emotions.
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