{"id":772,"date":"2025-09-22T18:41:48","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T18:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vanessayrogers.com\/fabricoffolklore\/?post_type=podcast&#038;p=772"},"modified":"2025-10-20T14:14:05","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T14:14:05","slug":"ep-24-dr-patrick-mcnamara-and-the-neuroscience-of-religious-belief","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/vanessayrogers.com\/fabricoffolklore\/podcast\/ep-24-dr-patrick-mcnamara-and-the-neuroscience-of-religious-belief\/","title":{"rendered":"Ep 24: Dr. Patrick McNamara and The Neuroscience of Religious Belief"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Did you know that religious belief and experiences have a profound effect on our brains? In this unique episode we speak with neuroscientist Patrick McNamara on how folklore affects our brains? We discuss how the brain processes and interprets religion, as well as mythology, mystical experiences. We ask existential questions like why and how people develop relationships with supernatural agents such as God, gods, prophets, angels, ghosts? Our guest, Dr. McNamara is a co-founder of The Center for Mind and Culture, a non-profit research institute dedicated to the study of the neurologic and evolutionary correlates of religious beliefs, behaviors, and practices.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@fabricoffolklorepodcast\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Watch this episode on YouTube<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Click below to watch this full episode on our YouTube channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Ep 24: Dr. Patrick McNamara and The Neuroscience of Religious Belief\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IX0fpeTToyc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did you know that religious belief and experiences have a profound effect on our brains? In this unique episode we speak with neuroscientist Patrick McNamara on how folklore affects our brains? We discuss how the brain processes and interprets religion, as well as mythology, mystical experiences. We ask existential questions like why and how people [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":773,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"https:\/\/vanessayrogers.com\/fabricoffolklore\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Ep-24-Dr.-Patrick-McNamara-and-The-Neuroscience-of-Religious-Belief.webm","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"https:\/\/vanessayrogers.com\/fabricoffolklore\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/maxresdefault-40-1.jpg","cover_image_id":"774","duration":"1:05:06","filesize":"53.9M","filesize_raw":"56516461","date_recorded":"2023-08-23","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"full"},"tags":[],"series":[76],"class_list":["post-772","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","series-fabric-of-folklore"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/vanessayrogers.com\/fabricoffolklore\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/maxresdefault-40.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/vanessayrogers.com\/fabricoffolklore\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/maxresdefault-40-1.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/vanessayrogers.com\/fabricoffolklore\/podcast-download\/772\/ep-24-dr-patrick-mcnamara-and-the-neuroscience-of-religious-belief","player_link":"https:\/\/vanessayrogers.com\/fabricoffolklore\/podcast-player\/772\/ep-24-dr-patrick-mcnamara-and-the-neuroscience-of-religious-belief","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"audible":{"key":"audible","url":"","label":"Audible","class":"audible","icon":"audible.png"},"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_play":{"key":"google_play","url":"","label":"Google Play","class":"google_play","icon":"google-play.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"pandora":{"key":"pandora","url":"","label":"Pandora","class":"pandora","icon":"pandora.png"},"rssradio":{"key":"rssradio","url":"","label":"RSSRadio","class":"rssradio","icon":"rssradio.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"},"iheartradio":{"key":"iheartradio","url":"","label":"iHeartRadio","class":"iheartradio","icon":"iheartradio.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/vanessayrogers.com\/fabricoffolklore\/feed\/podcast\/fabric-of-folklore","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"agiP4L6rGm\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vanessayrogers.com\/fabricoffolklore\/podcast\/ep-24-dr-patrick-mcnamara-and-the-neuroscience-of-religious-belief\/\">Ep 24: Dr. Patrick McNamara and The Neuroscience of Religious Belief<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/vanessayrogers.com\/fabricoffolklore\/podcast\/ep-24-dr-patrick-mcnamara-and-the-neuroscience-of-religious-belief\/embed\/#?secret=agiP4L6rGm\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Ep 24: Dr. Patrick McNamara and The Neuroscience of Religious Belief&#8221; &#8212; Fabric of Folklore\" data-secret=\"agiP4L6rGm\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! 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