For centuries, sacred architecture has been designed to inspire awe, and a groundbreaking new study offers some of the first empirical evidence of how these spaces may actually impact the human body.

Dr. Lin-Ching Chang, Professor and Chair of the Department of Computer Science, and her doctoral student, Edward Trudeau, recently published a paper titled, “Cognitive-Aesthetic Effects of Sacred vs. Secular Architecture on Believers: A Neurophenomenological Exploratory Study” in the journal Brain and Environment. Conducted in collaboration with Dr. Julio Bermudez (former professor in the School of Architecture and Allied Arts) and supported by the Templeton Religion Trust, the study bridges architecture, neuroscience, machine learning, and spiritual experience.

Using mobile electroencephalography (EEG) headsets and physiological sensors, and AI-driven data analysis, the study monitored participants as they visited both the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The results revealed notable differences between the two environments. Inside the sacred space, participants exhibited reduced anxiety, slower physical movement, and lower blood pressure. Brain activity measurements further suggested that the church environment may quiet the brain networks responsible for stressful everyday overthinking, while heightening activity in areas linked to beauty and reflection.

These findings suggest that sacred architecture evokes distinct neuro-physio-phenomenological responses in Catholic believers that are closely associated with religious experience. By demonstrating how architecture environments can influence both the mind and body, this research helps lay the groundwork for an exciting new field: experimental theological aesthetics.

Read the full study, “Cognitive-Aesthetic Effects of Sacred vs. Secular Architecture on Believers,” in Brain and Environment.

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