Catholics get pain relief from Virgin Mary

William Atkins
Sunday, 12 October 2008 20:25

Science - Biology

A U.K. study finds that devout Catholics have less pain than agnostics and atheists when viewing a painting of the Virgin Mary and being mildly shocked with electricity.


U.K. researchers Katja Wiech, Michel Farias, Irene Tracey, and other colleagues conducted the study that found religious people are able to cope with pain better than non-religious people when being shown religious pictures.

They found that the brain was able to associate the calming affect of the Virgin Mary and reduce pain, but only in religious people.

The conclusion of their research was published in the journal Pain.

The researchers are associated with one of the following: the departments of Anaestetics, Clinical Neurology, Theology, Ethics and Philosophy at the University of Oxford (United Kingdom) and the Psychology and Religion Research Group at the University of Cambridge (U.K.)

The research team used twelve practicing Catholics and twelve atheists or agnostics for their study.

In alternating trials, they showed each group either a religious painting of the Virgin Mary called Vergine annunciate (by Sassoferrato [Giovanni Battista Salvi]) or a non-religious painting of Lady with an Ermine (by Leonardo da Vinci).

The paintings, both very similar in nature, were shown for thirty seconds. While viewing one of the two paintings, each participant was given twenty small electrical pulses to the back of the left hand.

Page two continues the study and its results.