To make moral judgments about other people, we often need to infer their intentions - an ability known as "theory of mind."
And this article cought my attention. :coolgrin:
Now then. There is 2 things i wanna say.
If this is true,it is gonna be a perfect alibi for future criminals.
And the second thing would be. Any thoguhts about it?
And this article cought my attention. :coolgrin:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) neuroscientists have shown they can influence people's moral judgments by disrupting the right temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) of the brain. A finding, they say, that helps reveal how the brain constructs morality.
Previous studies have shown that the right TPJ is highly active when we think about other people's intentions, thoughts and beliefs. In the new study, the researchers disrupted activity in the right TPJ by inducing a current in the brain using a magnetic field applied to the scalp. They found that the subjects' ability to make moral judgments that require an understanding of other people's intentions - for example, a failed murder attempt - was impaired.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offers "striking evidence" that the right TPJ, located at the brain's surface above and behind the right ear, is critical for making moral judgments, says MIT's Liane Young, lead author of the paper.
"You think of morality as being a really high-level behavior," Young says. "To be able to apply [a magnetic field] to a specific brain region and change people's moral judgments is really astonishing."
Young's research used a non-invasive technique known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to selectively interfere with brain activity in the right TPJ. A magnetic field applied to a small area of the skull creates weak electric currents that impede nearby brain cells' ability to fire normally, but the effect is only temporary.
Previous studies have shown that the right TPJ is highly active when we think about other people's intentions, thoughts and beliefs. In the new study, the researchers disrupted activity in the right TPJ by inducing a current in the brain using a magnetic field applied to the scalp. They found that the subjects' ability to make moral judgments that require an understanding of other people's intentions - for example, a failed murder attempt - was impaired.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offers "striking evidence" that the right TPJ, located at the brain's surface above and behind the right ear, is critical for making moral judgments, says MIT's Liane Young, lead author of the paper.
"You think of morality as being a really high-level behavior," Young says. "To be able to apply [a magnetic field] to a specific brain region and change people's moral judgments is really astonishing."
Young's research used a non-invasive technique known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to selectively interfere with brain activity in the right TPJ. A magnetic field applied to a small area of the skull creates weak electric currents that impede nearby brain cells' ability to fire normally, but the effect is only temporary.
If this is true,it is gonna be a perfect alibi for future criminals.
And the second thing would be. Any thoguhts about it?