Spiritual Practices and Well-Being: An Empirical Study | prof. John A. Groeger, psychology, Nottingham Trent University

The SORSE project, led by Fraser Watts, investigates the hypothesis that different kinds of spiritual practice use the human cognitive architecture in different ways, and have different experiential effects, though they may all potentially yield similar well-being benefits. The study particularly compares conceptual and non-conceptual practices, hypothesising that non-conceptual practices have more immediate impact, but that conceptual practices, if successful, may have broader and longer-term benefits. Two non-conceptual practices are studied, one the Qigong movement, the other involve sensory attention, listening to plainsong chanting. The third practise under study involves imaginative discussion of four spiritual virtues (hope, gratitude, forgiveness and love/compassion). The effects of the various spiritual practices are conceptualised using Philip Barnard’s cognitive architecture, Interacting Cognitive Subsystems.