Can science and spirituality coexist?

Topping the academic rankings is no guarantee of well-being, making self-care important for mental health among researchers

Sylvia Maria Affonso da Silva

The image shows people participating in a self-care activity focused on their hands

In 1971, legendary British physicist Stephen Hawking (1942–2018) developed his theorem on the total area of a black hole’s event horizon, but only in 2019 was it possible, with equations, to simulate their form—similar to an orange donut.

In the 2000s, the Dalai Lama urged scientists to study the effects of happiness on the human brain, because, according to Buddhist psychology, we can improve our quality of life through direct experience.

But what puts a scientist and a religious leader in the same context?

Both science and spirituality carry the awareness that not believing in something because there is no evidence of it is as dogmatic as believing in something that still cannot be proven.

Sometimes, it’s just a question of time.

That’s how it was with the black hole, the theory of species evolution, and the butterfly’s metamorphosis. All are phenomena of nature that took time to be observed and explained.

The aim here is not to pitch science against religion and go on believing in one or the other, but to shine a light on a well-worn discussion that should now be fixed in the past: scientists and their spiritual beliefs can coexist.

It is common for scientists and researchers to distance themselves from (and often put themselves above) society on the theme of spirituality.

It seems somewhat inconsistent to believe in God and the second law of thermodynamics at the same time.

British naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) took two decades before publishing his book The Origin of Species in 1859, owing to his own conflict with his beliefs. In the classic work, he says, through all his words and drawings, that Homo sapiens derived from the primate, rather than being a divine creation.

Modern life has not been kind to the scientific vocation. Researchers put themselves in different boxes with regards to profession, personal and family ideas, and political leanings, and find themselves segregated. This plays on the mind, which also suffers with distancing and causes disconnection.

What makes us who we are is the convergence of countless factors such as social class, professional aspirations, personal wishes, the family unit, and belief systems (or the absence thereof).

Denying one of them is like denying the obvious: we are shaped by our surroundings, and we are whole beings.

Why spirituality now?

In the last two years, the journal Nature has published two articles on mental health and stress in the field of research. In one of them, from 2024, the opening image shows several students in white coats in the laboratory, with concerned, anguished faces, while a young lady in pink attire and wearing earphones sits smiling in the lotus position.

She seems to be detached from all the confusion. However, as no one wants be disconnected, we buy into the idea of superproductivity, which works neither on Avenida Faria Lima (a major hub of São Paulo’s financial and corporate district), nor at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US.

Looking out for your mental health is important for human beings, whether scientists or not.

Having self-care routines is no longer seen as a waste of time, and pushing yourself to lead the rankings of academic prestige can be very harmful to your physical and mental well-being.

The call from the Dalai Lama is valid: studying the effects of happiness on the human brain is important to understand the mental formations and their consequences on our behavior.

The current deluge of diagnosed depression, anxiety, and ADHD results from the adverse effects of a society without self-care, and too much competition (and comparison).

University rankings take into account the numbers of students, scientific articles, class hours delivered, how many conferences you’ve attended, and how many you’ve organized. Have you become a statistic for research support agencies, and are you doing the same to your students?

Speaking of numbers, how are you taking care of the nearly 90 billion neurons in your brain? Is that really the only place where thoughts begin? How do you react emotionally when faced with failure?

Of all brain cells, 70% are located in the cerebellum, and motor stimuli, such as physical activity and developing new motor skills, are essential for its proper functioning.

Could it not be time to learn to paint between statistics classes? Well, that’s what the Max Planck International Research School for Intelligent Systems (IMPRS-IS) has been doing, and the University of Zurich and Imperial College London run courses on mental health along the same lines.

In other words, we need to talk about this.

At what moment between publishing a scientific study and conducting an experiment do we look inside ourselves and ask: How can this result impact people’s lives? How much does what I do bring me satisfaction? Or: how am I allowing my life to be impacted by all of this?

Group of people practicing open-air yoga on the grass — Yoga is a “body-mind” activity that requires attention, and has been associated to positive changes in brain structure and function, particularly in areas related to consciousness, attention, executive functions, and memory | Image: Archive

Effects on the brain

Just as science has always needed art, people need something besides their professions. Cultivating a hobby for self-care is as important as the spiritual question, but with the professional characteristics of scientists, it seems that skepticism speaks louder.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we should fall for any old “mindfulness-coaching” out there (and there is a lot of it). Nevertheless, there is no issue in dedicating some time to learn to meditate, practice yoga, or take care of your spirituality if that’s what you want.

The difference between these three practices and a Pilates class at the gym is that you need to find some alone time for them.

You will, of course, seek out good quality yoga instruction, but this is a practice in which the principles of nonviolence and doing the right thing go beyond the mat—something you need to put into practice on a daily basis.

It’s nonetheless a spiritual or transcendental practice, and what’s wrong with that? You’ll still be a good (or even better) science practitioner, because you’ll be open to the unknown. Just like science!

To nourish something that is yours has a meaning and an effect on the brain (and mind) only partially measured. A review of the literature in 2020 confirmed the effects of meditation and mind-body exercise (yoga, qigong, and tai chi) on the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). The conclusion is that BDNF was either maintained or increased after these activities.

This is an essential factor for neuroplasticity and readaptation, and is an excellent marker for psychiatric conditions. The part that we cannot measure with any accuracy is the well-being.

Markers indicate our well-being: serotonin, endorphins; but we have no way to measure that satisfaction and smile when someone picks up an item that we drop on the street, or a sincere “please.”

It was likely for this reason that the Dalai Lama called upon scientists to measure the effects of well-being on our brain; after all, we can feel the inner sensations during our self-care practices, but only science can demonstrate the other markers.

Perhaps it is a fitting moment to bring spirituality into our self-care and wellness practices, particularly as science professionals.

With fewer taboos, and more scientific thinking!

Sylvia Maria Affonso da Silva is a biologist specializing in environmental sciences and exercise physiology, with a master’s in psychobiology from the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), currently conducting doctoral research into social innovation, and meditating since 2004. She runs the Instagram profile @autocuidado_comciencia, and coordinates the science communication event Pint of Science in Ubatuba, São Paulo State.

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