A Neuroscientific Look at Speaking in Tongues - Scientific research has enriched our understanding of tongues by finding that when people speak in tongues, they are not using the areas of the brain which control language. This means that tongues is real, and not made up by the individual. This confirms that one of the benefits of praying in tongues is that it is a way of praying without the limitations of languages one has learned, since the Holy Spirit provides the words.