Snapshot · The School of Greatness
Across 10 years of MRI studies, the number one predictor of a strong awakened brain — above meditation, prayer, or any other practice — is altruism, or love of neighbor.
Where this was said
At 1:01:37 · chapter starts 1:01:12
Lewis poses a provocative question: can an atheist live a peaceful, abundant, joyful life? Dr. Miller's answer is nuanced and scientifically precise. Humanists — people who believe the ultimate reality is being good to others — activate the exact same brain regions that spiritual practitioners use to connect with God, because as you do unto others, you do unto God. The final MRI study in Dr. Miller's decade of research examined what specific practices most strengthen the awakened brain. The results were surprising even to her: the number one predictor was not prayer, not meditation, not transcendent practice — it was altruism, love of neighbor. [1] — Dr. Lisa Miller "After a decade of MRI studies examining every form of spiritual and religious practice, one thing stood above all else: altruism — love of …" 1:01:12 Prayer in action, she calls it. She illustrates this with Mother Teresa, who spent decades in a dark night of the soul without the mystical experiences that had characterized her earlier life, sustained entirely through service. The takeaway is both democratizing and activating: anyone who walks out the door and serves is engaging the neuro-docking station of the awakened brain, regardless of what they believe.
After a decade of MRI studies examining every form of spiritual and religious practice, one thing stood above all else: altruism — love of neighbor. The same neural pathways that let you feel God's presence activate when you walk out the door and serve someone. Service is literally prayer in action.
Twin studies show the capacity for spiritual experience is one-third innate and two-thirds cultivated, while religion — regardless of tradition — is entirely environmentally transmitted.
A global survey of 270,000 children aged 8–17 found that kids with a strong spiritual core consistently had more grit, optimism, forgiveness, and overall character than those without.
The Cambrian Explosion 600 million years ago produced 10 different body types competing to become dominant, with our head-body-limbs form winning almost by accident.
Dinosaurs went extinct 68 million years ago due to an asteroid impact; had this not happened, humans would not exist today.
Neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor, after suffering a stroke that temporarily dissolved her brain's filtering mechanisms, spent 8 years recovering cognitive abilities while longing to return to the blissful 'unfiltered' state.
Hippos are the second biggest animal killers of humans in Africa after mosquitoes, despite not being predators — they attack when they feel blocked from water.
The universe is 13.8 billion years old; a human life of 80 years is almost incomprehensibly small in comparison, a fact Greene uses to cultivate humility and awe.
The widely cited ego-depletion model — the idea that willpower is a finite resource that gets depleted — failed to replicate in follow-up studies.
Humans are estimated to have 5,000–7,000 thoughts per day, yet can recall essentially none of them afterward, highlighting why in-the-moment emotional tracking matters.
A large Harvard study found that a wandering mind is an unhappy mind — people report greater happiness when their attention is tethered to the present, even if the task is unpleasant.
A key study finding that we have a 'credit card's worth of plastic' in our bodies was likely skewed because researchers used nitrile gloves that shed plastic particles onto the microplastic detector.
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