Are research that proposes to associate the environment with genetic changes?

According to spiritualist beliefs, people who have the ability to mediate communication between the souls of the dead and the souls of the dead carry vague lives depending on the culture, time and religious or social context they are added.

On the one hand, if they are respected as spiritual guides, curators or religious leaders, on the other hand, they are exposed to emotional, physical and social problems as a result of their moderate experience. For example, in the cardioist spiritism itself, it is seen as a service commitment without any characteristic material benefit.

In 2022, a survey conducted by the USP Psychiatry Institute and Juiz de Fora Federal University (UFJF) Spiritual and Health Research Center presented unprecedented an average experience. It is no longer a combination of psychological, social and spiritual factors, But a genetic necessity: The proteins of these people’s genes are coding (EXOMA).

What does research about environment and genetics say?

It was published in January 2025 at the Brazilian Psychiatry Magazine electronically, The research analyzed the exoma of 54 experienced environments and compared them with their first -grade relatives who do not have moderate skills.. The results say that 33 genes with specific variations in environments, but not found in their families, say that they attract attention.

In order to choose environments, researchers have determined some cumulative features such as having at least 10 years of experience and doing moderate work without doing practical and financial benefits. Later, the full sequence of the exom of this population, as well as a 53 -first degree relative.

The results suggest that the environments examined have unique genetic variations: 15,669 variants, which will only affect the function of 7,269 genes, are defined. 33 have been changed in at least one third of all environments, but in any of the relatives. Most of these changes (43.9%) are associated with the immune system and inflammatory processes, which suggest a biological basis for mediation..

Does this mean that genes are associated with mediation?

Surprisingly, this question was not answered by the absence of an objective and scientific definition that genetics was less and “medium” by itself. In the article, he was presented as “individuals who claim to have the ability to perceive, communicate or influence from deceased people”. This means that they are what they say, So, the definition is based on the self -relationship.

It also extends to other features such as lack of scientific evidence, alleged to communicate with deceased or non -physical beings. As a result, seeing, listening or feeling what no one noticed is difficult to prove without a mental disorder that justifies these experiences.

In this sense, the practical criteria adopted by the authors to define the environments are partially arbitrary. This is due to the fact that any study seeking genotype-phenotype relationships should have a clear and measurable definition of phenotype (characteristic). This would be like analyzing people who made themselves happy on Instagram and claiming that we had found their happiness genes.

The main problems encountered in research on genetic environment

In addition to the above -mentioned operational definition problem (what is medium?), The study also has a circularity problem because it tries to find genetic bases for something that cannot be defined objectively. How to talk about global warming without the thermometer or without unaware of greenhouse gases.

Without any way to objectively verify what to be an environment, there is also a verification problem of the research and a serious participant election bias. The environments themselves define themselves, as they guarantee this between the control group (relatives) Is there anyone with environmental experiences?

Finally, what happens in this study is a common problem known as “confirmatory prejudice in science” when researchers (consciously or unconsciously) or interpret the results to verify their previous beliefs. There is no denying that faith is an important element of human experience, but we should always follow the scientific method when making science.

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