• play show:

Many Christian Pentecostal denominations teach that speaking in tongues is evidence of the Holy Spirit.  When Dr. Andrew Newberg conducted brain scans on people speaking in tongues, in 2006, he found decreased activity in the frontal lobes-- the part of the brain that affects self-control.  This seems to confirm what the speakers themselves feel.  According to Newberg, "these subjects truly believe that the spirit of God is moving through them and controlling them to speak."

Click 'play show" to hear to Dr. Newberg's lab recording of speaking in tongues.