Study: Your Brain Thinks Money Is A Drug

by David Kestenbaum

If you've ever thought of money as a drug, you may be more right
than you know. New research shows that counting money — just handling
the bills — can make things less painful.

"It is
surprising," says Kathleen Vohs, a professor of marketing at the
University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management who participated
in the research. "It still surprises me."

The experiments were conducted by a colleague of Vohs' in China. Students came into the lab and were told they would be participating in a test of finger dexterity. One group was given a pile of Chinese currency to count. Another group was given blank pieces of paper to count. READ MORE

via www.npr.org

Another addiction?

For the church, the inclusion of yet another application of brain science brings us back to some old debates and mind-wrestling matches.

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." – I Timothy 6:10 (NIV)

Psychologists, pastors, and health care professionals have suspected the results of this research for years. Everyday people have known this. Experience has proven it. Now brain research is suggesting that there are neurological explanations for how spending and acquisition of money can be like drugs creating feelings of exhilaration and well being.

Like with any addiction, major life interferences result, mood swings are common, and relationships are disrupted.

In other words, it can be a root of all kinds of evil.

Are there spiritual implications?

Indeed.

Are there spiritual solutions?

Of course, in the same way there are spiritual solutions to all manner of brain re-patterning concerns.

We got into this mess by the way we trained our brains and we can get out of it the same way. But now that we know what it is, we can address it more effectively.

As with other behaviors and addictions, there is no legitimate tug-of-war between sin, behavioral, learning, and disease models of why we get trapped in various patterns. The disciplines compliment each other and round out our understanding of treatment options.

As a theologian, my understanding of sin is fairly rugged. I know that it permeates other issues and concerns in my life and in society. My theology of grace is even more hearty and where sin abounds, grace much more abounds.

Choices have entered into the mix along the way and choice is the playing field of sin. Without choice, there is not sin.

There is much grace in the forgiveness of sin which levels the playing field for grace to be expressed in self-understanding, therapy, behavior modification, and discipleship.

People are complex ("fearfully and wonderfully made") and fully integrated beings. Addictions, of which we have all partaken in one way or another, must be addressed with integrated approaches, weaving together spiritual, emotional, cognitive, biological, chemical, nutritional, and social solutions and understanding.

For the Christian, this is all in Christ, under His Lordship, and through grace.There is no push-pull necessary between disciplines, theories, and approaches.

We can welcome such research. This burgeoning field of study of inner space is as fascinating as that of outer space. Everything I am hearing and reading is making me more and more hopeful and worshipful of the God whose creativity is seen in it all.

Deo Gloria!