The Neuroscience of Values and Beliefs is a transdisciplinary research program that investigates how the brain and human psychology form, maintain, and represent values and beliefs, exploring cognitive, social, philosophical, and spiritual dimensions.
In 2024, an important partnership was established with the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab at Northwestern University and King’s College London to establish the Brain and Belief Center. The virtual center aims to create an international hub of excellence in research, education, and innovation to deepen the understanding of the neural and psychological bases of human beliefs and values.
Investigates the neural, cognitive, and emotional processes involved in states such as awe, feelings of unity, and spiritual insights. Combining qualitative, psychometric, and neurobiological methods, it analyzes how these experiences emerge from the brain-body-environment dynamics, how they articulate with value systems and meaning-making, and their impacts on mental health and well-being in different cultural contexts.
Explores non-ordinary experiences (such as perceptual, sensory, and consciousness alterations) in the general population, investigating how psychological characteristics and cultural contexts shape their occurrence, interpretation, and impact. Using large-scale databases and international comparisons, this line seeks to identify psychological profiles associated with these experiences and understand why they are experienced as positive, neutral, or disturbing.
Examines altered states of consciousness and sensory phenomena in ecological contexts. It integrates neuroscience, psychology, and phenomenology to understand how context, culture, and collective dynamics shape perception, experience, and its interpretation, as well as their implications for everyday life and mental health.
Investigates the cognitive, emotional, and neural mechanisms associated with dogmatism and resistance to belief revision. It analyzes how individuals respond to challenges to their core convictions, comparing different belief systems, such as scientific and religious views. Using behavioral, psychophysiological, and neuroimaging measures, it seeks to understand the role of emotions, identity, and threat perception in maintaining beliefs and openness to evidence.
Investigates how human values are expressed, interpreted, and negotiated in real-life situations. Instead of relying solely on abstract questionnaires, this line analyzes narratives, decisions, and natural interactions to understand how values are communicated, recognized (or misinterpreted), and operationalized in different domains of life. It also examines how computational models (such as those of language) represent values and how they differ from human cognition.
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