State University of New York (Albany) graduate student Christopher D. Lynn, supervised by Dr. Lawrence M. Schell, will test the hypothesis that the cultural phenomenon of Pentecostal glossolalia (speaking in tongues), a form of dissociation, has physical, stress-reducing benefits. Dissociation is a psychological construct for processes that partition consciousness to focus or reduce awareness. It appears in myriad forms, such as daydreaming or absorption in a book or television program. It occurs clinically in hypnosis or in pathologies such as multiple personality and is also a cultural phenomenon, as in shamanic spirit journeys or the possession trance of voodoo. Dissociation is often functionally interpreted as a means of reducing stress. Research suggests that other culturally-mediated dissociative practices (e.g., focused meditation) affect the physiology of stress response by increasing the threshold at which it is activated. This means such people experience less stress although the potential stressors in their lives remain the same. There are no studies testing a similar threshold mediation for dissociation in religious contexts.
Pentecostalism is an excellent candidate for such research. It is a form of evangelical Protestantism that regards glossolalia as a gift and sign of the divine. To test the relationship between glossolalia and stress response, pilot study data were used to develop a questionnaire to measure glossolalia experience. Glossolalia experience will be compared to cortisol and alpha-Amylase levels, two biomarkers of stress reactivity, and to additional questionnaire measures of dissociation and self-perceived stress. In addition to glossolalia, the researcher will test the effect of cultural consensus on stress. Cultural consensus is the degree to which individuals live up to cultural models of behavior. This will be measured using questionnaires related to religiosity and faith maturity.
This research is important because it will further scientific understanding of the relationship between culture and human biology. It also may have public health benefits because stress reduction reduces risk for many stress-related health problems. In addition, the research will contribute to the education of a graduate student.
