Believing is a central brain function of humans. It interacts with other brain functions such as learning and memory and has a strong influence on our actions.
The processes of believing are encompassed by the umbrella term credition (derived from Latin credere = to believe).
They include perception of external information, valuation in terms of effort and reward, predictive coding of action, and reinforcement learning that take place predominantly outside conscious awareness. Believing results in mindsets and attitudes that stabilize people’s worldviews but may convert into limitations of how to act.
On the neural level the formation of beliefs is mediated by higher order associative brain regions.
Notably, people may become aware of their beliefs to some extent. This is the prerequisite for being able to phrase what one believes and to reason about it.
Subsequently it is possible to communicate the contents of what one believes to other people.
This pertains also to the discourse within and about religions. In conclusion, people’s worldviews are brought about by processes of believing that as such are not religious, but play an important role in
religions and for long have been neglected by the sciences.
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