Godly Sadness - Biological Correlates of Spirituality & Depression
In recent years, the United States has become increasingly secular. According to a recent Gallup poll, church membership in the United States has fallen below the majority for the first time in the nation’s history (Jones, 2021). However, in numerous studies, religious and spiritual inclinations have shown themselves to be coping mechanisms for offsetting stressful life situations (Koenig, 2010). In addition to traditional religious orientations in America, more and more individuals are referring to themselves as spiritual but not religious. For this reason, spirituality is acknowledged as a significant influencer in the therapy room.
The question remains as to whether the reason that spirituality is so effective for mental health outcomes results from the type of individual who seeks therapeutic assistance. Could it be that the connection between psychological suffering and spiritual growth indicates that individuals who are prone to develop depression are the very ones who have a strong spiritual inclination? This is a question addressed in the article “Genetic Correlates of Spirituality/Religion and depression: A Study in Offspring and Grandchildren at High and Low Familial Risk for Depression” by Micheline R. Anderson, Lisa Miller, Priya Wickramaratne, Connie Svob, Zagaa Odgerel, Ruixin Zhao, and Myrna M. Weissman that appeared in the journal Spirituality in Clinical Practice. (Anderson et al, 2017).
According to the researchers, “a common developmental path between suffering and increased spirituality may point to a unified psychological process, which has, in turn, a common underlying physiology with a genetic foundation” (Anderson et al, 2017). The purpose of the research performed was to provide a deeper understanding of this correlation. The authors hypothesized that there would be associations between single-gene correlates for spirituality and single-gene correlates for depression.
Methods for Researching Spirituality and Depression
To begin, the researchers identified 4 possible candidates of single-gene predictors of spirituality and depression. The researchers cite the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) which has an “association with social function, capacity for n=bonding, and related dysfunction indicated in pathology such as autism, depression, and schizophrenia” (Anderson et al, 2017). Second, the researchers address single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the 5-HT2A and 5-HTS1B serotonin receptor genes. Interestingly, as expression levels of 5-HTR1B receptors peak in adolescence, so does spirituality (Anderson et al, 2017). Third comes dopamine receptor genes (DR). Previous research has shown that “similarities in the functional activity in spiritual and religious experience and the dopaminergic system indicate a relation between the two” (Anderson et al, 2017). Finally, vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT) genes were considered. In particular, the VMAT2 gene has “been implicated in discussion as ‘the God gene’ because of the C allele’s association with higher self-transcendence scores” (Anderson et al, 2017).
The study comprised 334 subjects, 156 female and 178 male, with an average age of 31 years old. The subjects were drawn from a 30-year longitudinal study of individuals who had a family history of depression. The subjects were 52% Catholic, 21% Protestant, 6% of other religious affiliations, 7% gnostic or atheist, 12 % spiritual but not religious, 3% Jewish, and less than 1% of eastern religions. The participants were asked two questions: “How important to you is religion or spirituality?....”How often, if at all, do you attend church, synagogue, or other religious or spiritual services?” (Anderson et al, 2017).
By way of genetic testing, “genomic DNA was extracted from a saliva sample collected using Oragene DNA Self Collection Kit” and compared against a genotype of five genes connected with the markers discussed earlier. The researchers then performed an analysis of the measured spirituality/religiosity, depression, and the five genes in participants.
Depression as a Vehicle for Spiritual Growth
Anderson et al state that findings on the 5 genes are “consistent with previous literature that relates these genes with spirituality or closely related constructs” (Anderson et al, 2017). As for the second research question (What are the single-gene correlates of depression?), they found that the “DRD2 minor allele was found to be both a risk factor for depression and positively associated with higher levels of importance of spirituality/religion” (Anderson et al, 2017). The authors state that this finding supports previous research that there may be a “common pathway or physiology underlying both existentially oriented depression and spirituality” (Anderson et al, 2017).
The significance of this finding may find application in clinical psychotherapy. Therapists often note that suffering leads to greater spirituality on the part of clients. Trauma often leads to post-traumatic growth wherein an individual matures psychology (including in their ability for self-transcendence and spirituality) as they recover from the traumatic event. Anderson et al suggest that “the current existing body of psychotherapies that engage suffering and symptoms of depression as an opportunity for an increased spiritual awareness may be embracing an innate developmental or regulatory process with a genetic foundation” (Anderson et al, 2017).
This study brings the theoretical concepts of spirituality and transcendence into the realm of hard neuroscience. The biological root of suffering and recovering, as shown by the genetic foundation connecting transcendence and depression was shown by the correlation of the DRD2 gene. Individuals with this genetic marker may have both an increased risk of depression and an increased propensity for spirituality. While pharmaceuticals have brought relief from psychological suffering for some, for clients with this genetic marker, psychotherapeutic techniques that include existential and spiritual considerations may well be the best fit. In the future, understanding the genetic correlates of suffering and recovery will bring neuroscience into psychiatry as patients are matched with interventions that uniquely fit their genetic makeup.
References:
Anderson, M. R., Miller, L., Wickramaratne, P., Svob, C., Odgerel, Z., Zhao, R., & Weissman, M. M. (2017). Genetic Correlates of Spirituality/Religion and Depression: A Study in Offspring and Grandchildren at High and Low Familial Risk for Depression. Spirituality in clinical practice (Washington, D.C.), 4(1), 43–63. https://doi.org/10.1037/scp0000125
Jones, J. (2021) U.S church membership falls below majority for first time. Gallup. March 29, 2021. Retrieved from: https://news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx
Koenig, H. G. (2010). Spirituality and mental health. International journal of applied psychoanalytic studies, 7(2), 116-122.
